The Raven's Student
by Ocean's Fury
Summary: During the battle in Wave, Naruto falls off the bridge. With a mix of luck and destiny aiding him, he was fished out of the river by the Raven of the Uchiha clan, Itachi. Under him, he learns to defend himself, as well as his heritage. He finally returns to Konoha after two months, forging his own path through trials and hardship to discover who he is and how strong can he be.
1. Prolouge: Family Ties

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto: Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

Tuesday, September 1

Everything that could go wrong had done so on this mission for Team Seven. Firstly, Naruto and Sasuke were trapped in an icy dome by Haku, which resulted in Sasuke nearly dying and Naruto unleashing the Nine tails chakra.

After the they were freed, Zabuza and Kakashi fought each other into a stand still, until Haku died to save his master.

Caught off guard by Haku sudden sacrifice, Zabuza was able to sucker punch Kakashi and knock the Copy Ninja out.

Then Gato showed up with an army of mercenaries, and betrayed Zabuza. While the Demon of the Mist did manage to kill the midget, it was at the cost of his own life.

With all of this passed, Naruto was left the only one willing to fight after Sakura's attention fell onto Sasuke's unconscious form. Not at all an ideal situation.

Mostly because there was still the small issue of an army of mercenaries about to slaughter them all.

"Damn Ninja... you killed our meal ticket!" One of the men in the back of the army yelled. "Now how are we going to get paid!"

"We can still raid that dump behind them, it's not like they can stop us!" another one answered his comrade.

The scowl on Naruto's face turned into a full glare when he heard that. There was no way he was going to just roll over and let these back stabbers slaughter hundreds of people.

So he did what any head strong child would do, he prepared to fight each and every one of them. He didn't care if it went against every shinobi rule they taught at the academy, it wasn't like he paid attention to them anyway.

"Look, that little moron wants to fight us!" One of the men jeered again, causing them all to laugh.

Naruto didn't know why, he had been on the receiving end of people's mockery for years now, but he flew into a hateful rage.

It wasn't directed at the mercenaries like it should have been, but it was aim more so at the situation he found himself in.

Naruto was angry that no one was going to be able to help him, he was angry that he was probably going to die here, and most of all he was angry at the world for putting him in this spot.

It wasn't fair to him, that he had to spit in death's face again for the third time.

The most recent was now, against this small army about to grind his face into the cement, while the first one that came to his mind was a few months ago against Mizuki.

However, the first true time he was ever in any legitimate danger was on his sixth birthday, the only time a mob of villagers ever tried to kill him.

Now he knew they hated the nine tails inside him, but that didn't make him feel any better about it. He could remember their punches and kicks, he remembered curling up in a ball begging for them to stop.

They didn't. It only seemed to egg them on, which made Naruto get mad. He remembered their punches continue, but they didn't hurt him anymore. His vision was tinted red, and he let out a feral scream.

Then Naruto felt a hand chop his neck and knock him to the ground, and a sound akin to chirping birds.

After the incident, he could've sworn he saw a pug following him around for a week, but he never was able to get close to the dog.

Right now though, Naruto felt much of the same rage as he did against the villagers then. He felt his world getting tinted red, he felt his teeth grow longer and sharper. His claws hardened and grew lethal points, and even his whisker-like birth marks blackened into thick lines.

He didn't know it, but Naruto's eyes also changed. They were no longer a deep sapphire blue, but were now a blood-chilling red with his pupils a black slit like a predator.

Naruto gave an unconscious snarl before he went onto all fours, a strange red cloak made entirely of chakra beginning to cover him. He was beginning to lose his senses in his anger, his reason going to the back of his mind as he was barely even able to think.

Before anyone could speak, the genin of the Leaf charged like a wild animal. He tore into the closest soldier's leg, digging his claws clean through and ripping off the appendage.

The soldier let out a scream, but Naruto smashed his face with the soldier's own leg and proceeded to keep slamming it down until the man stopped screaming.

Naruto dropped the man's bloodied leg , his fingers stained red with the mercenary's blood.

It was silent enough to hear a pin drop on the bridge, until one man murmured the words that described how they all felt.

"Holy shit..."

Naruto's eyes snapped over to the man and he gave a feral growl. He lunged for him and tore his claws straight through his chest, knocking them both to the ground.

Getting on the man's chest, Naruto started tearing into the soldier, who let out a choked scream. Chunks of flesh and organ were strewed everywhere, blood splattering all over Naruto's person.

While he absolutely brutalized a corpse, another soldier tried to brain Naruto in the back of his head with an axe.

Naruto saw it out of the corner of his eye and got off the dead man's chest, letting the axe fall right into a corpse's throat and decapitate it.

And that was the beginning of the slaughter, Naruto ripping and biting his adversaries while carving through the band of mercenaries like a force of nature. His hands grew bloodier with every passing cut, bodies and limbs piling around him.

By the time the thirtieth man fell, he men began to back away in fear, terrorized and praying for someone to save them.

"NO, PLEASE-" A man tried to beg, but Naruto sank his teeth into the man's neck and jerked backwards violently.

The mercenary fell down to the ground, Naruto falling with him. The blood-crazed jinchuriki rolled off him and again lunged up, his claws tearing into yet another foe, giving one fatal slash through his face and neck before turning to his next victim.

He found it in the form of a man wielding a pike, who was utterly frozen in horror while staring at Naruto.

Naruto gave a savage and deranged grin as he slashed the frozen man's eyes out before stabbing him through both his lungs.

With an alien strength that Naruto himself knew he didn't have, Naruto lifted the much larger person up into the air. With a roar, he threw the bleeding corpse over the edge of the bridge and into the river a hundred feet below.

In doing this, he left himself exposed. A man behind him took advantage of this and stabbed forward with his spear, ramming it into Naruto's back. The point hit nothing lethal, landing right above the boy's right hip.

The mercenary was surprised when he actually landed a blow on Naruto, before his shock turned to confidence and he followed up by smashing his shield down on Naruto's shoulder, knocking the boy to the ground.

The army's confidence return when they saw this, and all thought that the man wielding the spear was about to kill the brat.

Unfortunately for them, Naruto's brought his fingers together again and he sliced off the man's foot.

Rolling back up to his feet, Naruto's foot found the back of the falling man's neck and stomped on it, crushing his windpipe. He whipped his head up and saw the army still charging at him, on all sides, and in the back of his mind knew that it was only a matter of time before one of them landed a lucky blow again.

After killing ten more soldiers, the boy was smashed in the side of the head by a club, a sickening _thud _resounding through the air.

The attack would've killed most people, but after skidding across the wood and cement bridge until he was about a foot away from the edge, Naruto rolled on his back and stood up on his feet.

Naruto eyed them like a predator would eye prey, growling like a rabid dog seeing a meal for the first time in days.

"Kill the brat before he kills anymore of us!" One of them shouted.

Naruto gave a savage grin, speaking for the first time to them. "I'd like to see you try."

The army ignored the threatening tone and swarmed forward, running towards Naruto with their various weapons. Naruto answered their charge with one of his own, roaring angrily as he ran on all fours, a sound that seemed to awaken his sensei.

Kakashi groaned and opened his sharingan eye after a few minutes of hearing nonstop fighting. He looked up weakly in time to see Naruto killing three men at once. 'Oh no...' The Copy Ninja thought, his sharingan giving him a quick head count of the bodies, finding the total at forty three.

"Naruto..." He croaked weakly, desperately trying to stand and stop this. In the time he took to manage to do that, Naruto had taken out five more men, bringing the body count up to forty eight.

Sasuke was now beginning to awaken as well, groaning and weakly lifting his head in time to watch Naruto smash his claws into a man's brain. He blinked and focused a little to activate his sharingan, still unused to how it worked. He also was able to count the corpses in an instant, the total being forty nine.

Naruto ripped his hand out of a man's skull and began to lunge at another before his luck finally ran dry. A sword, barely even in range of him, blindsided him and slashed across his face, right below his right eye.

"Naruto!" Kakashi's strained voice cried out, though it would've been barely audible to the boy's ears even under normal circumstances.

The man who wounded Naruto smirked arrogantly while he grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar and held him up in the air, holding him up like a trophy at Kakashi. He pulled Naruto closer to him and pressed his sword against the throat of the unconscious jinchuriki so that he couldn't try anything.

Naruto's face was a bloody mess, along with the rest of his body. His orange and blue jumpsuit was shredded, red stains all over the slash marks and stained red everywhere else.

"Step aside, or the brat dies." the man said, snickering as Kakashi was left with a horrible ultimatum.

Sasuke was still on the ground trying to stand up, glaring at the man as if trying to incinerate him with his eyes. He hated feeling weak and useless, and that was what the last Uchiha was feeling at this time.

Kakashi was finally on his feet and standing steady. He could've killed them all on his own if he didn't have to worry about the town behind him, but with Naruto being held hostage, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He stilled for a moment, before his head fell in shame.

The Copy Ninja began to turn to the side to let them pass, much to Tazuna's horror, when it happened in a blink of an eye.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, still a terrible blood-red. He looked at the sword at his neck and snarled, moving so fast the man behind him couldn't react. He sank his teeth into the man's hand, ripping off his thumb and making him drop his sword as well as Naruto.

Said boy's feet barely had time to touch the ground before Naruto lunge at the man again, impaling his claws through his chest and trying to tackle him to the ground.

However, instead of hitting the hard cement, they were met with something far worse.

Nothing.

Kakashi watched in horror as Naruto fell off the bridge, every second passing like a year. Something that happened so fast slowed down to a crawl before his sharingan, and it only made him feel worse about himself.

"Naruto!" The boy faintly heard his sensei shout, his masked face appearing like a smudge at the edge of the bridge where Naruto once was. The jinchuriki felt himself crash into the cold currents of the river and his world went black.

* * *

Itachi was lounging at the edge of a river, his arms behind his head while he looked up at the sky in boredom. Kisame had taken to sleeping in as of late, leaving Itachi to stare at the river impassively as a 'lookout'.

He used that term loosely, because the few times he saw other people, they either didn't even know who he was and they were just passing by, or they fled in terror at the sight of him.

Itachi heard a distant splash come from the river, able to see a bridge connecting two cliffs. He had been also able to hear distant sounds of fighting, but given the seclusion he and Kisame had at this spot he chose to ignore it.

Odds were it would've taken hours for them to even find this spot, they were off road and in the middle of the wilderness at the moment.

Back on topic, the Uchiha glanced at the river thinking that a fish jumped, when he spotted an anomaly. Floating down stream was a distinct orange jumpsuit that had several tears and blood stains on it.

The Raven of the Uchiha quickly realized that the boy had just fallen off the bridge. More dried blood was crusting on the right side of his face, which had luckily stayed above the water so he could breathe if he was still be alive.

Itachi watched in fascination as he floated down the stream and washed up on the river bank right in front of him, as if he was guided to Itachi by fate itself.

Itachi stood up and glanced back at Kisame, finding the Shark man was still asleep and unaware of this turn of events. Looking back down at the boy, he immediately recognized the headband tied around his head as a forehead protector for Konoha.

'He must be a genin on his first mission...' Itachi's thoughts trailed off as he got a good look at the boy, and his eyes widened in realization. He knew who this boy was, though it had been years now since he last saw him.

'Naruto... Kami take it.' Itachi swore, remembering that Naruto was one of the nine jinchuriki. The boy was obviously hurt, he had blood coating half his entire face and several other wounds in addition, but if memory served Itachi heard that Sasuke was his teammate.

'My brother must be up there as well...' Itachi looked back up at the bridge, hearing more sounds of combat and screams for mercy. 'now is not the time for him to find me, he won't be strong enough.'

Itachi quickly ran through his options.

First, he could awaken Kisame and take Naruto to Pein. That was a bad idea, one he immediately discarded.

Second, he could kill Naruto and toss his corpse back into the river, and no one would be the wiser. This was another one that was immediately discarded, though for more personal reasons.

Lastly, Itachi could abandon Kisame and take Naruto somewhere he could recover and prepare for the Akatsuki.

Itachi didn't even have to think twice on this one.

* * *

An hour or so later

Kisame awoke with a yawn, sitting up and stretching. He cracked his neck and stood up, blinking when he saw that Itachi's stuff was gone.

'What the...?' He thought, looking around. After a moment, he saw a crow standing on a tree stump nearby, a sharingan staring right at the Shark Nin.

Kisame stared dumbly at the bird for a moment, too tired to piece everything together quickly. The bird started flapping its wings and flew away, and by then Kisame already knew what was going on.

"Itachi, you son of a bitch."

* * *

Saturday, September 5

Early morning

The first thing Naruto realized was that he was still alive, which he was thankful for. The second was that he could only open one eye, which he was not thankful for.

Naruto was in a dimly lit room, rain padding the ceiling above him softly. He couldn't see the corners of the room, nor could he find the door to get out.

However, that was not the issue that was on his mind.

'Oh god, did I lose my eye?' He thought in horror, feeling himself wrapped in bandages. They were heavily focused around his lower stomach and his right shoulder, along with ones wrapped around his head.

He brought a hand up and felt the bandage covered his eye. 'There's no way the next Hokage only has one eye!' He reached up to yank the bandages off his face, when a voice spoke up and stopped him.

"I would not do that Naruto-kun."

Naruto's was apparently jumpy, and almost broke his neck whirring his head around to see who spoke. "Who are you?" Naruto was trying to sound threatening. In truth he was pretty sure that he couldn't even lift a kunai let alone fight someone right now.

The person that spoke snorted in amusement. "Just the person that saved your life." He said blithely, standing in a dark corner of the room out of Naruto's sight. "Maybe it would be best if I introduced myself."

He stepped into the light slowly, letting Naruto see who he was.

First off, the man was young, though still older than Naruto. He looked only looked eighteen or nineteen years old, and he had shoulder-length black hair. He wore a plain black cloak that fell below his knees and covered his arms.

He also wore a Konoha forehead protector, but the leaf insignia was slashed out.

There was something familiar about him though, Naruto could feel it. He looked a lot like Sasuke did, but that was impossible. The only person Sasuke would even remotely resemble would be...

'Uh oh.' Naruto gulped, having a hunch about who it was but wanting proof. "... You're a Uchiha." It was not a question.

"I am. One of the more famed Uchiha of recent memory since I slaughtered my entire clan save for my little brother, who I've heard is your teammate under Hatake Kakashi." The way he spoke so casual almost made Naruto relax.

Almost.

_"What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone." _Sasuke's voice repeated the statement he made when they all first met Kakashi in Naruto's head, and his suspicion was confirmed.

"You're Itachi!" Naruto tried to act calm, but it was a little more than difficult.

Uchiha Itachi was standing in front of him. A person strong enough for people to actually consider a future successor of Saratobi Hiruzen's second term.

Also one of the few people in Konoha that never was a jerk to Naruto, but he left long before Naruto could really remember much about him.

However, he did have one distinct memory of the Uchiha prodigy taking him to get ice cream on more than one occasion, he had been asked by Hiruzen to watch over him.

Looking back on it, whenever Itachi was with Naruto, he always felt safer.

Another reason Naruto was wary was the more obvious one. Itachi could snap Naruto in half with both hands tied behind his back and a blindfold over his eyes if he so chose. The sheer fact that Naruto was still alive and in front of him was a mystery to him.

"Yes Naruto-kun, I am Uchiha Itachi." Itachi's face gave nothing away, though his stony eyes seemed to show bemusement. "I am curious, has Sasuke awakened his sharingan yet?"

"..Yeah, he... got them on the bridge." Naruto sobered up considerably, the events on the bridge flashing in his mind. "He almost died to activate them though. And now he's probably are dead, along with my team."

"Naruto," Itachi began. "Team seven is alive and well. They left Wave around a day ago, with the builder Tazuna naming the bridge after you to honor your sacrifice."

Naruto smiled in relief when he heard his team was okay.

"After you fell, Kakashi and Sasuke went on a rampage and slaughtered that army within minutes." Itachi went on to explain. "If anything, your fall was a catalyst for them, giving them strength and courage. Add in the fact that you took out almost half of them... I see the potential of greatness in you, something I want to see you achieve."

'What?' Naruto thought, a little confused.

From the sounds of that, Itachi... wanted to help train him. That didn't make any sense to Naruto, it wasn't like he was a prodigy so why would Itachi even consider wasting his time with him?

"...are you offering to train me?" He asked slowly, a little hesitant.

Itachi gave him a genuine smile. "Only for a short period, for two months. With the Chunin exams are in three months from now, I doubt that you'll want to be left out of that."

"Why would you want to train me of all people?" Naruto asked. I mean, I'm awesome and all, but you... well, you don't seem like you like Konoha."

"This has nothing to do with the leaf village." Itachi stated, his posture turning stony again. It had a lot to do with the leaf, more so than Itachi ever hoped Naruto heard about before Itachi died. "This is about you being one of the only innocent members of my clan."

Naruto stared at him dumbly "...What?" He asked meekly.

"I thought I was very clear, but perhaps that was too subtle." Itachi said dryly. "You are from my clan, you are a Uchiha."

"...I'm a Uchiha?" Naruto repeated questionably, as if testing the waters. Then he turned incredulous. "_I _am a _Uchiha_? There are so many things about that that don't make sense, I should take you to go get your head examined!"

Itachi pretended he didn't hear that remark. "Your mother was a Jonin of the Leaf named Uchiha Kushina, and she earned the nickname 'Red Hot Habanero of Konoha'. She had a little brother named Uchiha Obito, who died long before I was born on a mission in the third shinobi world war." Itachi explained.

Naruto stared at him blankly, not knowing what to do or say.

"Your parents named you Uzumaki because they were a famed clan that was known for their luck, and to help hide your true identity so that you wouldn't inherit their enemies." That was at least Itachi's assumption, They were both likely aware of the planned coup as far as Itachi knew. "That a good enough explanation?"

For Naruto, it wasn't. "Dude, have you seen me in actual light?" he asked. "I look nothing like a Uchiha, I have blond hair and blue eyes and on top of that, I suck as a ninja. The Uchiha always are the best, and I failed three times before graduating because of a fluke."

Naruto hated admitting it about himself, but it was the truth. In most realities, he wouldn't had ever earned his forehead protector.

"Appearance is irrelevant." Itachi stated calmly. "And your academy instructors hated you Naruto. You're a walking reminder of the Kyuubi, the being that nearly tore Konoha apart brick by brick."

"Iruka-sensei doesn't hate me." Naruto disputed Itachi's claim, immediately thinking of the scarred-faced teacher that had been a surrogate brother for him. "He's one of the only people who have ever cared about me."

"And I said nothing about one particular teacher." Itachi pointed out. "If I did, I believe the first teacher that comes to mind would be Mizuki. But never mind that Naruto, just know that I am doing this because your mother was a member of my clan, and by extension, that means you are as well."

Naruto went silent as he let all this digest. While he honestly didn't believe this for a second, what did Itachi gain by lying to him?

After a minute, he asked the obvious question. "Will I ever have a sharingan?"

Unlike most obvious questions, this was one that Itachi didn't know the answer to. On one hand, it was in his blood so the potential should be there, but Naruto looked so much like his father it was almost unnatural.

"Truthfully? I don't know." Itachi answered. "Your bloodlines are both dominant, and since you look so much like your father, you may not be able to under the same type of training that I had to do."

"...But you think I can, right?" Naruto asked, his brow furrowing.

Itachi paused, before he spoke "We will discover over the course of your training under me. Speaking of that, you should rest. Dawn is in a few hours, and we will begin then."

Naruto nodded, not asking how Itachi could tell what time it was and laid back down on the bed he had been sitting on. Itachi turned away and left the room, and Naruto closed his eyes.

* * *

Undisclosed location; same time

This discussion had been going on for hours now, two old friends talking over sake.

"What do you say, old friend? If you rejoin us, we'll aid your new village." A man spoke. He was outside of his protective puppet for the first time in years now.

However, as a sign of trust, he went without it for the time being.

"Hm..." Came the response. "Tell me Sasori, who was it that died this time? Was it Deidara or did Kakuzu finally find a way to kill Hidan?"

The Puppeteer didn't dignify any of that, because none of it had occurred.

"There is no way the Akatsuki would be desperate enough to try to bring me back into the fold unless a core member... was no longer with the organization."

Sasori ran a hand through his hair. "It was Itachi... he left." Sasori said in a rather bland tone. "Though I assumed you already knew this, Orochimaru. You have a very well equipped spy network of your own, you surely were aware of how Itachi was actually intelligent about it, waited until Kisame fell asleep before he left."

"So the Weasel tricked you all, eh?" Orochimaru chuckled at his own bad joke, referencing to how Itachi's name meant weasel. "Too bad then."

Sasori ignored the Sannin's tone. "Will you rejoin the Akatsuki, or not?"

"Hm... " Orochimaru pretended to think about it. While it wouldn't really benefit him at the moment, he could use it as a way to achieve his own goals. "Why not? It will be a good way for me to gather samples for new... plans of mine."

"Good." Sasori said, sipping on the sake in his cup. His body couldn't digest sake properly so he had to take it in as more of a wine to be sipped and savored.

However, he was fully aware of what Orochimaru was implying. Not that he really cared, everyone in the Akatsuki had their own motives.

Kisame sought out fights, Deidara wanted to prove to the world that art was an explosion, even he wanted to collect more corpses for his human puppet collection. Throwing Orochimaru's probable plans of gaining immortality was nothing that phased him.

"You know, I was sent to retrieve your ring by any means." Sasori casually remarked. "Which meant I either had to recruit you back or kill you. Thank you for choosing the former, it would be a waste of both my time and yours if we were to fight."

"Yes, we both know how much you hate wasting time." Orochimaru drawled with a smile. "Same location as last time?"

"Same location, same jutsu." Sasori confirmed, standing up. "Be there tomorrow at dusk for your re-introduction into the Akatsuki."

"My, the leader isn't afraid of former members is he?" Orochimaru grinned while pouring himself another drink. "Only coming after me when another member left..."

"No, you're just overly careful." Sasori replied. "It took you starting the foundation of a country to track you down, we've been one ring short for almost a decade now."

'True, but I only did it because I know that I am the untouchable one here.' Orochimaru thought with a smile, downing his cup of sake. "Should I show you the door?"

"No." Sasori said bluntly, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Orochimaru grinned to himself, a voice speaking to him. "He isn't a talkative man, is he?"

The snake sannin chuckled. "No, but dear Sasori was never one for idle chatter."

He turned to see a man leaning against a wall unnoticed by Sasori.

This man had a hood covering most of his face, leaving only his mouth exposed. He wore a navy blue jacket with gold trimmings along the collar, pockets, and a gold line running down both sleeves. He wore gray pants and despite the unspoken shinobi dress code of wearing sandals, wore a pair of combat boots.

A katana with a crimson handle was in its plain black sheathe across his back, the handle poking over his shoulder.

"How goes our... phase one?" Orochimaru asked.

"It _went_ well Orochimaru." He plopped down on the couch across Orochimaru. "My clansmen filled most of the vacancies, however the various minor clans that have gathered here helped tremendously. "Phase two has already begun, and thanks to the civil war in Kiri, neither side notices the missing bloodline users..."

"We need more than just Ninjas from that backwash nation." Orochimaru pointed out, his tone trying not to sound testy. "I want more than just Kiri, I want you to scour the world, pick off a few at a time. Bring them to me, and I'll do the rest. If need be, rob a grave or two for the perfect test subject."

The guest paid little mind to Orochimaru's tone, though he did smirk slightly at the mention of robbing a grave. "I'll have my clan do the grave robbing Orochimaru, but I will not sully my own hands in such an act." The guest said, his voice sounding amused.

Taking that as an affirmation that he'll see to it, Orochimaru relaxed. 'I cannot afford to lose his support over a disagreement.'

"With the extra aid from the Akatsuki, I believe that this village has a bright future ahead of it." The guest smirked, putting his hands behind his head and kicking his feet up on the table in front of him.

"As I have said," Orochimaru's smile grew sinister. "everything will eventually just fall into place. Konoha will be the only obstacle in our way, and even then they would only be the size of an ant before a bijuu. Both of us will have what we seek, and then some." Orochimaru said, pouring a new cup of sake and offering it to his guest.

The guest took it, and gulped it down like a shot. "I will reclaim what was stolen and you will gain what you deserve. But what of the now, what shall we do in the mean time?"

"For now, The Akatsuki will be attempting to size the jinchuriki up while amassing funds." Orochimaru explained his plan. "A perfect opportunity for us to do the same."

The guest's smirk curled into a smile, chuckling to himself. "Indeed."

* * *

September 5, a few minutes later

Itachi sat in the throne room of the hideout, deep in thought. He had come here as soon as he left Naruto's quarters, and was listening to the sound of rain still padding the roof.

A few days ago, he sent a letter via his ravens to inform Hiruzen of Naruto's survival and Itachi's intention of preparing Naruto for the challenges that lay ahead of him. Like he told Naruto, he wouldn't hold Naruto for to long, the boy would be back in Konoha with a month before the chunin exams.

While for most people, two months of training would not be efficient, Itachi was sent reports from the Hokage about Naruto so that Itachi will know how to keep the Akatsuki off his trail.

He had a plan to make it so that Naruto would grow to become stronger than anyone thought possible for him in a short amount of time.

Out of the blue, he saw a poof of smoke all but appear before him. "You know Itachi," A man in the smoke said. "I don't know whether to hit you or hug you right now."

Itachi cracked a smile. "Hello to you as well Jiraiya." He greeted. The smoke dissipated and a tall man with spiky white hair stood proudly before the Uchiha."You were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"I was busy." Jiraiya said with the most serious face possible, crossing his arms.

Itachi raised a brow. "The nearest hot spring is thirty miles up the road."

Jiraiya smirked lecherously. "I know."

Itachi rolled his eyes and shook his head, while Jiraiya lost the humor for a moment.

"I know you just saved Naruto's life and all, but did you have to ditch the Akatsuki?" Jiraiya asked, sitting Indian-styled on the floor. "We needed our eyes on the inside for a group like them."

"I did what I had to." Itachi stated. "What else could I have done?"

Rhetoric question or not, Jiraiya raised a brow before he spoke in a blunt tone. "Killing Kisame before you left might have helped us out."

"That was a split second decision." Itachi answered. "I didn't want to risk starting a full fight with Kisame if Naruto is going to bleed to death while its occurring."

"Still..." Jiraiya stood up, growing bored sitting down. "Leaving a crow behind to mock him wasn't a good idea."

Itachi kept a blank face, the look almost glued to his face. "It was my way of making sure he didn't wake up while I was in the area, I can see from the eyes of my birds."

"Then you know he slept for another hour, well after you already left." Jiraiya deadpanned.

Itachi again raised an eyebrow. "How do you even know that?"

"Because I'm a badass motherfucker, that's how!" Jiraiya said rather loudly, while striking a pose.

Itachi sweat-dropped after watching Jiraiya's antics. 'This is the great toad sage of Konoha.' He thought, a wry smile crossing his face.

"But on a more serious matter..." Jiraiya's turned serious again. "The Akatsuki... there's been some reports that they might not be the only problem we have anymore, nor are they our biggest concern."

"What?" Itachi asked. "What could possibly be more dangerous than an organization with core members being S-rank shinobi?"

"An entire country full of them." Jiraiya said back. "Granted, none of them have criminal records, it's still big news when entire families from Iwa, Suna, and even Kumo all high tail for this 'Otogakure."

"Otogakure?" Itachi had heard rumors about it. "Do they have allies?"

"That's the kicker." Jiraiya stated. "They are in talks with Ame, but have refused contact with all other nations at the moment."

Itachi was now paying close attention. "Ame... the Akatsuki..." ,

Jiraiya nodded grimly. "If that's not bad enough, Kumo and later Iwa tried to sneak in and scout the area, that was months ago. Not a single person had reported in since they entered the country, they are presumed deceased."

Itachi raised an incredulous brow. That was just... unbelievable. A new country shouldn't, no it _couldn't _be strong enough to repel two of the great five nations, it's outright insane.

"It's... well, scary to me that two of the great five nations, two of the _strongest _of the great five nations and our greatest rivals over the years can't get through the defenses of a newly formed nation. It's scarier to think that it's formed out of the remnants of Uzushiogakure, right above the land of Fire's borders."

Itachi remained silent. He didn't really have anything to add to that, and pondered Jiraiya's words.

The Toad Sage glanced back at Naruto's room, deciding to change the topic. "What are you going to do with Naruto? Two months isn't nearly long enough to train someone in more than basics."

"It's plenty of time." Itachi smiled lightly, happy to be able to relax. "I'll be using the shadow clone training method with him, he'll be chunin level before he leaves here.."

"How many clones can he make?" Jiraiya asked, a little flabbergasted. The training method was an extreme measure, one where someone summoned as many shadow clones as they could and then each of them did exercises.

To make it effective, multiple clones were required, but most shinobi couldn't even make one.

"Against Mizuki, Hokage-sama told me he made over a thousand." Itachi answered in a monotone voice. "With me, I will limit his clones to one hundred."

Jiraiya just stared at Itachi like the Uchiha grew a second head. "A thousand... that's... bijuu level chakra reserves! And a hundred, damn it, that's more than I can make!"

"You don't even need to be a sensor to pick up on how much chakra he has, he's like a walking chakra battery in that aspect." Itachi gave another wry smile, before changing the subject. "So, what brings you this way? It isn't like Konoha is in this direction."

"Remember what I said about Otogakure, how they're right above us?" Jiraiya asked. "I'm to infiltrate it and find out what I can."

Itachi looked at the Sannin. "I'd wish you luck, but you won't need it." He said, confident in the Toad Sage's abilities.

Jiraiya nodded, before he glanced at the large door behind him. The sound of rain had grown louder, and the two could hear distant thunder. "Why do I always work in the rain?" He mused aloud.

"Dramatic flair." Itachi shrugged, still sitting on his throne.

"Meh." Jiraiya headed for the exit, before he stopped with his back to Itachi. He looked back with a wide grin on his face."Make him great Itachi."

Itachi smiled. "I intend to."

* * *

Monday, September 7

Afternoon

Kakashi stood in the Hokage's office, a frown hidden beneath his mask.

He had not seen Sakura or Sasuke since they returned to Konoha a few days ago, both of them returning to their home without uttering a single word.

The Copy Ninja didn't blame them. He understood more than they realized that right now, they wanted nothing but space from each other to mourn and grieve in private, to berate themselves for what they perceive as their greatest failures.

When in reality, it was Kakashi's fault. That was how he felt anyway, and on record, it looked like it.

Sakura was protecting her teammates as well as the bridge builder, Sasuke was out cold, but Kakashi? He just got sucker punched and was floored. The top shinobi of the leaf, _got beat_ by _Momoch__i Zabuza._

Whether it was luck or skill did not matter, the result was Naruto fell a hundred feet off of a cliff and probably died because of his incompetence.

And the real kicker was that no one else aside from the Hokage had read the report, no one knew what was going on with Team Seven. For over two days, Kakashi stood at the memorial stone without even moving, something that Gai brought to Hiruzen's attention.

"Kakashi..." Hiruzen's eyes held nothing but sympathy for Kakashi, knowing that the man had given more than any other in the entire village.

Kakashi had lost his father at a young age, had lost both of his teammates, had lost his sensei and role model, and now he had lost his student, the last living legacy of Kakashi's own sensei.

A normal man would've already broke under the constant death, yet Kakashi still stood.

Shaking, trembling, blaming himself, but still standing.

"Team Seven has been put on inactive duty to cope with the loss of Naruto, but Kakashi... It should the entire rookie class. They are still rookies, with the mind sets of children. None of them have experienced tragedy before, none of their friends have fallen until now. Why do you refuse to tell them what has happened? Why do you refuse to _let me _tell them what happened?"

"I haven't refused." Kakashi disputed weakly. "I just... I haven't gotten around to it."

"Well then, should I call both teams in here so that you can tell them?" Hiruzen asked, to which Kakashi shook his head 'no'. "Then we have an issue, because they are going to learn about what happened. Whether from you in private like all shinobi deaths, or if I have to public announce Naruto was killed-"

"No." Kakashi's voice was surprisingly heated, his relaxed posture turning as stiff as a board in an instant. "Don't announce it to them... not yet..."

Of course, Hiruzen wasn't actually going to do that yet. The celebration the villagers would have would make people think the Yondamaine himself returned back from the land of the dead.

Seeing that might send Kakashi into a rage that would result in half the village population being killed and Kakashi being executed on the spot.

"...I'll tell them today Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Tell Asuma and Kurenai to bring their squads over to training ground Seven. I'll be waiting for them there."

Hiruzen stared at Kakashi for a moment, before he nodded. "Alright Kakashi." He said, taking his attention from the Jonin and packing tobacco into his pipe.

Without another word, Kakashi left the Hokage's office to give the bad news to the rest of the rookie nine.

"I hope I'm not making a mistake..." Hiruzen muttered once he was alone, turning around and looking out the window. A letter of Naruto's well being was crumpled up in his free hand under the desk, bearing the signature of Uchiha Itachi.

* * *

September 7, Evening

It was a tense atmosphere in the training ground, six of the rookie nine all present. Their teachers had left them there to mourn with each other in private, remembering the first time they all lost a comrade.

No one said a word as what they heard from Kakashi sank in. _"Naruto... is dead."_

"...I can't believe it." Choji murmured softly to himself, the first one to regain his voice. "Naruto's... gone?"

Aside from Shikamaru, Naruto was one of the few people that didn't pick on him for being overweight. While admittedly they weren't best friends like he and Shikamaru were, Choji still considered him a good friend.

Across from him, Inuzuka Kiba grunted. _"Believe it." _he said in a bitter tone, mocking Naruto's old saying at the same time. Akamaru whined above his head, and Kiba absently scratched him behind the ear.

"It's... it's not right." Shikamaru said aloud, looking up at the cloudless sky. "Sure, he was the dead last and all, he did worse than I did in the academy... but he was Naruto." The Nara looked conflicted. "He can't be... dead."

"... He's not dead." Ino muttered, before she started ranting. "Sasuke-kun wouldn't let him die, neither would Kakashi or even Forehead! This is probably a stupid prank of his! It's not funny you-"

"If it was a prank, why did it look like Kakashi-sensei had been crying?" Kiba snapped at her sharply. "And why have Sasuke and Sakura been at home and refusing to come out since they've gotten back? Face it Ino, Naruto is dead and _this isn't a fucking prank!_"

The tongue lashing from the Inzuka clan heir did nothing to stop Ino from glaring back at the Inuzuka heatedly. "Naruto _can't _be can't be dead, he's our age! Some of us aren't even teenagers yet and you expect me to believe that baka is dead!"

The Inuzuka clenched his fist in his lap. Akamaru whined and looked up at Kiba, trying to tell him to stop arguing with the Yamanaka heiress.

"He isn't dead!" Ino insisted, standing up. "Naruto might be an idiotic, brash, no good jerk, but he isn't stupid enough to go get himself killed! Even if he was, he has Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke with him on missions doing the heavy lifting!"

"Actually... Kakashi told us that Naruto killed more people than Sasuke and Kakashi combined." Shikamaru reminded her absently. His voice was hollow and cracking, desperately trying to hold back the dam of emotions about to come to the surface. "And Naruto did it on his own, protecting both of them along with that village."

The Inuzuka scoffed. "So he died a hero." Kiba looked away from his former classmates, tears glistening in his eyes. "Doesn't change the fact that he is dead."

"I have to agree with Kiba-san." Shino said, his tone still as blank as ever. The Aburame's high collar and sunglasses prevented everyone from seeing the tears rolling down his own face. "Logic dictates that Naruto died in the fall, or if he survived it he bled out in the river."

"...I also agree with my teammates." The Hyūga heiress spoke in a very uncharacteristic cold tone, not that anyone else paid mind to it. "He's dead, and that won't be changing anytime soon. Get over it."

Ino glanced back at her teammates, expecting them to come to her side of the argument.

However, neither Choji or Shikamaru even looked remotely interested in the conversation. Choji because he was crying into his hands, and Shikamaru because he was staring up at the sky.

Shikamaru would never admit it aloud, but he was praying to anyone that was listening for guidance. He was praying for a sign that everything was going to be alright, a sign that told him his friend wasn't actually dead.

He never got it.

"You... you're all wrong!" Ino shouted, not caring how her voice cracked. "...completely wrong."

Kiba relented a depressed sigh. 'I wish we were Ino.'

Team eight eventually took their leave, albeit at separate times. They wanted to mourn in private, not in the company of others at this point. Team ten however, was comfortable enough with each other to remain together, and cry their hearts out.

Ino sniffed quietly, still standing up after Team Eight left. "Do you... do you guys think he's dead?"

She turned to look at her teammates again, hoping at least one of them would say no.

However, Choji didn't even look at her to answer, he didn't even register the question. The Akimichi was too busy crying into his hands.

But the Nara boy next to him did register the question, and he stared at his blond teammate with eyes like shattered glass. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Shikamaru closed his mouth and just stood up and began to walk away.

Saratobi Asuma looked down at his team sadly.

"Get used to the feeling kids..." He mumbled, putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. "You'll need to."

* * *

Don't forget to leave a review down below, it'll make my day!


	2. Awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto: Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

November 1; two months later

Naruto was tired and frustrated. Over the last two months with Itachi, he had tried and failed to unlock his eyes. He had mixed feelings about that if he was going to be honest. He would never in a million years admit it out loud, but when Sasuke awakened his sharingan, Naruto thought it was just completely badass. Add in the skill it gave him, and Naruto was almost jealous.

Almost. Mostly because more times than wanting it, he was scared of having it. If he ever did unlock them, what would the village say? What would they _do? _They hated him with their every breath, if they saw that he had the eyes of legends, would that push them to their breaking point? Would they actually try to kill him for it?

Even worse, how would the rest of the gennin of his class and the three he had yet to meet from the year before say? That he didn't deserve them? How would Sasuke react? They never did not see eye to eye, but what if Sasuke thought that Naruto was trying to pull a sick joke on him? The boy would try to kill him in sheer rage.

And Naruto could understand that. Hell, Naruto would expect that. It's what he would do if their roles were reversed.

Regardless, he had yet to succeed. He was glad about that, he didn't know if he even wanted it, especially given the damage he caused without it. When he thought back to the bridge, he only got snippets of what happened. But the things he did see was so disgusting that they nearly made him vomit. He slaughtered fifty people, brutally too. Itachi had told him that the first kills are always the hardest.

Well, given that Itachi was the guy that killed his whole family one-by-one in a singular fashion, Naruto took his word for it.

However, even with all this going on, trying to unlock them was not all Naruto had done, far from it. Thanks to his shadow clones making training for a month the equivalent of almost two years, he grew by leaps and bounds. Itachi then taught him multiple styles of taijutsu, as well as helping Naruto discover his affinity with Wind, while working in a fire affinity as well. In mere weeks, he learned a lot of powerful wind and fire ninjutsu.

Naruto also learned how to mold chakra into shapes to a degree, but has yet to do anything with it nor focus on it. In this time, his muscles had grown more defined as well, not enough to bulge or make him broad-chested, but definitely making him appear slightly bigger than the mal-nourished boy who graduated three months ago. He had grown faster as well, a combination result of wearing weights and running miles upon miles, learning how to shushin, and when Itachi's frustration reached its peak now and then and he ran after Naruto with a Katana.

Naruto's general appearance had taken a change, thanks in part to a new wardrobe at the hideout. He wore a sleeveless orange windbreaker with a long sleeve blue shirt underneath. He also wore navy blue pants, hiding fifty pound weights on each weight above his ankles. He had the average ninja sandals on his feet to complete his new outfit.

That was one of the few things Itachi was never able to break him off, his distinct need to wear Orange. He tried everything to stop him from wearing it, going as far as trying to burn it straight off his body with a fireball. Safe to say that it didn't work.

His hair had only grown slightly thankfully, but the scar running across his right eye was still a prominent feature. It ran right under his eye horizontal, from his ear to the top of his nose, a tenth of an inch from his eye. Naruto had jokingly taken to calling it his fourth whisker.

Now, they were on their journey to send Naruto back to Konoha, where the two would part ways and Naruto would hope prepare for the Chunin exams in six weeks time.

Currently they weren't to far away from Konoha, only twenty miles from the village hidden in the leaves. They were at an Inn in a small suburb of the village, where people seemed to realize that they knew him, but didn't recognize him. They were eating a peaceful dinner of Ramen Noodles and sushi, when the door at the front of the restaurant opened.

Normally, such small things wouldn't catch Naruto's eye, but when he could feel the power coming off the man like a beacon, he'll notice it pretty easily.

The new arrival wore a simple outfit, consisting of a yellow over shirt with a long dark green shirt underneath it. He had gray pants as well as the standard ninja sandals, and a weird purple rope around his waist. He also had long black hair with gray skin and yellow snake-like eyes.

The snake eyed man sat down at a table across the restaurant from them, though he was smirking and staring right at Itachi as if he knew exactly who he was.

Itachi glanced back at the man, before his eyes went back to his food. However, Naruto could tell when something was up. "Naruto, I want you to get out of here. Now." he whispered to the Kyuubi no Kitsune's jinchuriki.

"Why?" Naruto whispered back, his voice slightly louder than Itachi's, but still not loud enough to draw attention to them. He knew instantly the reason had to do with the man with the snake eyes.

"Trust me Naruto, that man is not someone you want to trifle with. I can handle him myself if I must, but you would be killed in moments in a fight with him." Itachi said, his eyes darting subtly between Naruto and at the snake eyed man.

Naruto bit back a retort and asked a simple question. "Who is he then?"

"His name is Orochimaru, and he is considered by many to be the strongest of the Sannin. He has a desperate obsession with defeating a Uchiha and stealing their body to take their eyes." The nuke nin answered.

Naruto frowned, before he said a little loudly "He almost sounds like a pedo when you word it like that."

The snake sannin glanced over at Naruto, and a sinister smile appeared on his face before he sat at the table across from them. He definitely heard that last comment.

Itachi stood abruptly, and said "Come on Naruto, we're leaving."

"Alright." Naruto said, his eyes meeting Orochimaru's. The boy saw the curiosity in the snake Sannin's eyes, as if knowing exactly who Naruto was.

Creepy enough, given that this was the first time Naruto had seen the man before.

"I still think I could take him." Naruto muttered to himself, while Itachi put a hundred ryu on the table as payment. Naruto walked behind Itachi with his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner until they were outside, not understanding the danger they were in. Once the two were out of the inn, however, they both saw Orochimaru leave it as well out of the corner of their eyes.

Naruto's hands fell down to his side, ready to fight. He might have been considered dense by most people, but even he could tell something was about to go down between them.

Itachi stopped in the middle of the road, and with his back turned, he spoke. "Why are you following us, snake?"

Orochimaru stopped as well, about ten yards away. "I have no interest in you, Itachi." He said, his voice as smooth as silk. "I simply wanted to know if that is Minato's son? Because the boy certainly looks like Jiraya's former student."

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. He could've sworn that he had heard the name Minato before, but he couldn't recall who it was. However, his eyes widened as he heard Itachi say "He is. If that is all, leave us be."

"Wait, this guy knew my dad?" Naruto asked Itachi, looking back at Orochimaru curiously.

Orochimaru ignored Naruto and spoke directly to Itachi, a twinkle in his eyes and a dangerous smirk playing his face. "Ah, but Minato married that Uchiha girl, didn't he? Kushina, I believe was her name."

Itachi had never truly looked threatening in the time that Naruto had spent with him, but what he saw could only be defined as such when Itachi stared at the Nin before them. His sharingan activated without a second's hesitation, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana.

"If you try anything-"

Whatever Itachi was about to say was interrupted when he was clobbered in the back of the head, sending him forward. However, the blow did not knock the man out, only enraging the Uchiha.

Itachi rolled to his feet to face his attacker, surprised to see Kisame grinning at him.

"Ah, I see you've met my associate. Surprised to see such a familiar face Itachi?" Orochimaru quipped, crossing his arms. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he doesn't bite. But I could be wrong."

Kisame said nothing, though a toothy grin adorned his face while he stared down Itachi.

"Naruto, get out of here." Itachi growled through clenched teeth, the blond boy staring with wide eyes at the superpowers before him all about to fight. Instead of being afraid, Naruto grinned and fell in his own stance, saying "Not a chance Itachi-sensei. If I'm going to be the next Hokage, I need to see how far I have to grow!"

"Spoken like a true Ninja." Orochimaru said mockingly, grinning like a mad man.

Then all hell broke loose.

Itachi was the first to move, drawing his katana as he moved in a blur. He swung his weapon at Kisame's neck, hoping to catch the shark nin off guard and kill him quickly.

Unfortunately, it didn't work as Kisame parried the attack with Samehada. The two swords clashed, though Itachi was forced to pull back due to the abnormal size difference between the two weapons.

Orochimaru smirked as he pointed his hand at Itachi, who was out of his guard at the moment. A snake flew out from under his sleeve and lunge straight for Itachi's throat who could only watch as it flew closer and closer to him.

However, Naruto grabbed the snake by the end of its tail with , and in a fluid spin swung it around like a mace right back at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru ducked under it, watching the serpent sail over his head and smash into a jagged rock nearby. Before Itachi could even think of intervening between Naruto and Orochimaru, Kisame swung Samehada down like a hammer at him, smashing a crater into the ground.

A bloodthirsty grin adorned itself on Kisame's face. "You and me Itachi, I got a score to settle with you!"

Itachi's eyes widened as Kisame's body smashed into him, tackling him away from Naruto and Orochimaru.

While Itachi's struggle began against Kisame, Naruto swung a kick up at Orochimaru's face which was easily blocked by the more experienced shinobi he was up against.

Orochimaru shoved Naruto's leg back, expecting the boy to be as slow as any dead last of the academy was going to be, when instead Naruto found his footing rather easily and sent his other leg up to try and knee Orochimaru in the chin.

Orochimaru almost blinked in surprise, but restrained himself so that he could actually follow the movements. The sannin caught Naruto's knee, and shoved the boy backwards again.

Naruto growled, thinking 'Alright, I can already tell this guy is good.' The moment he caught his footing though, he shot at Orochimaru like lightning once more without a hint of doubt about him.

'He has the speed of his father at that age, but not the tactical prowess.' Orochimaru thought, blocking a punch from Naruto. Minato was patient, he preferred to fight his battles defensively, only attacking when he saw an opening. Given that he could punch about ten times in under a second, that strategy tended to work for him.

Naruto however, was not patient. Far from it in fact, as he never let Orochimaru get a single attack off, constantly trying to pound his opponent into the dirt.

In short, where Minato was more of a finesse fighter, Naruto was a wrecking ball.

Orochimaru caught Naruto's outstretched fist by the wrist, and delivered a quick knee to the ribs to the jinchuriki.

Naruto doubled over, but he blocked Orochimaru's follow up of a kick to the head with his arms. He aimed a kick straight at Orochimaru's ankle, trying to either break it or sweep the man's legs out.

Instead, he received a kick to the nose from the sannin, knocking him clear off the road and into the trees.

'Damn it...' Naruto thought with a groan before he flipped back up to his feet and back into his stance. Orochimaru had yet to move yet, simply smirking down at Naruto from the road.

The villagers were all watching with rising interest, having never seen a shinobi battle this close before.

"Is that all you have Naruto-kun? I was beginning to get my hopes up too..." Orochimaru shook his head in a mocking fashion.

Instead of a reply, Naruto growled and did a hand seal to perform his favorite jutsu.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Instantly four Naruto clones popped to life, all side by side with the original.

Orochimaru prepared for another attempt at Naruto trying to pummel him in taijutsu, when the Uzumaki caught him well off guard with a surprise attack.

"Mega Inpakuto!" Naruto jumped up into the air and jammed his knee into the sannin's face, making Orochimaru stumble backwards while the bunshins all began weaving through hands seals.

"Fūton: Daitoppa!" They spoke simultaneously, the jutsu altering the direction of the slight breeze and giving it the momentum of a tornado. Orochimaru stood his ground, the trees behind him shattering into splinters.

"You have the stamina of a herd of oxen, Naruto-kun." Orochimaru's voice was terrifyingly happy, as if he enjoyed the attempts Naruto was making at harming him. "But you and I both know, you stand no chance at beating someone on my level."

"Jokes on you, I've never heard of you!" Naruto's uttered from behind Orochimaru, his fist cocked back to strike the back of the snake sannin's head.

Orochimaru didn't even turn around, just moved his head over to the side and let Naruto's fist hit empty air. He jabbed backwards with his elbow, hitting Naruto in the sternum.

The sheer force stopped Naruto in his tracks, letting blood and saliva flying out of his mouth. He fell to his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath.

And if not for his clones, he would've probably ended up dead.

While his attention was on the real Naruto, the clones all surged forward, just as fast as original. The Middle clone reached Orochimaru first, his fist rocketing at Orochimaru's chin.

The sannin caught the clone's outstretched fist, a blank look on his face. He didn't expect the two fists that collided with his face a moment later though, stunning him.

The forth clone stepped off the shoulder of the first, and used both his feet to kick Orochimaru in the nose with all his might. The impact launched Orochimaru backwards, catapulting him through the thick trees in the forest and back onto the forest.

The real Naruto was still gasping for breath when his clones helped him up, but that didn't stop the heated glare he shot in the direction Orochimaru went.

"Did you get him mister?" A childish voice said behind one of the clones said, tugging on the back of his shirt.

The Naruto clone looked down in alarm, surprised that a small child of about three years old standing idly behind him, unaware of the danger he inadvertently put himself in.

"Kid what are you doing!" Naruto all but shouted down, accidentally scaring the child. "Wait, don't cry-"

"Oh, you are just full of surprises today Naruto-kun."

They looked at Orochimaru, and their eyes widened in shock. Aside from scuffing up his clothes, the sannin was undamaged.

"Get him out of here. Now." Naruto told the clone, who nodded wordlessly and picked him up. "Hold on tight." The clone ordered the kid, running off to the village with the kid en tow.

"Aw, you didn't want an audience to see your death... for a second time?" Orochimaru asked in a sickly sweet voice. "A shame..."

Naruto clenched his teeth and tightened his fist, but didn't verbally say anything. Any quips he had to shoot back were lost in the recesses of his mind, his focus more on stopping himself from shaking in his sandals.

'This is gonna suck.' He summed up in his head nicely. Still, without a hint of hesitation he and his clones began weaving hand seals.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

As the attack moved closer, Orochimaru thought to himself 'So he can use two styles as well, hm? Interesting... very interesting.' The attack scorched the earth where Orochimaru was standing, kicking up smoke and dust.

"Did we get him?" A clone asked, staring at the smoke covered area.

He got his answer when the ground cracked beneath his feet, and a hand shot up out of the ground. Orochimaru held his hand against the clone's throat, snapping its neck and dispelling it with a single twitch in his wrist. The real Naruto looked over in surprise.

''That could have easily been me.' he thought, the three remaining clones backed up a step in shock.

However, Orochimaru was growing bored with playing around with them. He backhanded one clone right across the cheek, while his other hand aimed itself at another clone and sent a snake flying after him.

A foot long sword came out of the serpent's jaws, and impaled itself through the clone's throat.

The third clone didn't even let Orochimaru get himself set to defend when he lunged forward with his fist cocked back. It proved futile though, as Orochimaru stepped to the side, and kicked the clone in the chest dispelling it.

'Where's the real one?' Orochimaru thought, turning around while looking for him. He found Naruto standing a dozen yards away, smirking as he went through hand seals.

"Got you." He murmured, before he launched his attack. "Katon: Karyū Endan!"

Orochimaru's eyes went wide as a serpent made of flame coiled around Naruto. It snarled at Orochimaru, giving out an ear splitting roar before it launched at the snake sannin.

Right as Naruto expected to roast him alive, he felt something clobber him in the back of the head, sending him down the road, much closer to the town than before.

The clone that ran off earlier was still running around the town, trying to find the kid's parents.

Naruto glanced at the clone before he looked at where he once stood, not surprised to see Orochimaru was standing there, sick smirk still adorning his unnaturally pale face.

"This is just depressing Naruto-kun... aside from looks, you didn't inherit anything from your father." Orochimaru taunted at him.

"Shut up." Naruto spat venomously, his eyes flashing red for a moment. "I don't care if you knew my dad, because he was a good person. No way was he friends with you!"

"True, we weren't friends, but still I think we respected each other." Orochimaru acknowledged with a smirk. He was really going to enjoy this part. "We did compete for the spot of fourth Hokage. A contest in which he was victorious."

Naruto felt his blood run cold. It clicked together in his mind in but a moment, what Orochimaru just said. The fourth Hokage's name was Namikaze Minato. The fourth Hokage was his father.

**"Damn fool, you're going to get us killed! Stop standing around and fight!" **a voice roared in Naruto's head.

'Who the hell are you and why are you in my head?' Naruto thought back, momentarily forgetting about the fight, which proved costly.

Orochimaru moved like a man possessed, his fist about to collide with Naruto's face.

The jinchuriki threw his arms up to block the punch, though a snapping sound still rang clear in Naruto's ear and agony burst through his left arm. He was blasted backwards, tearing through the ground.

Orochimaru walked right up to Naruto's downed form, and grabbed his collar.

"Alright, I think I'm done playing with you... what's this?"

Instead of a face like he was expecting, he was looking down at a wooden dummy with a scratched on smiley face. In addition to that, a strange hissing noise was hitting Orochimaru's ears.

A second later, it dawned on Orochimaru what Naruto was doing.

"you clever little brat..."

**BOOOOOM!**

The explosion seemed to rock the world, the villagers all having to put an arm in front of their eyes. Thick black smoke blanketed the area, though Naruto appeared sitting atop a tree looking down at the remnants of the explosion.

"Get up from that you bastard!" Naruto exclaimed, a wide grin on his face and an arm in the air. His left arm hung limply at his side, but his right arm was raised in celebration.

From behind Naruto however, he heard a chilling laugh. "I'll admit Naruto, you are full of surprises."

There was no way, no possible way...

Naruto turned around, and a fist collided with his jaw with the force of a jackhammer. Naruto shot down through the thinning blanket of smoke and smashed into the ground, his face buried in the ground

"See Naruto? No matter how strong Itachi has made you over the last two months, I am a man with no equal, especially from a dead last loser like you." Orochimaru taunted, leaping down to the ground. He walked leisurely to Naruto's down form, taking time to savor the moment.

He might not have ever got to do it to Minato for taking what was rightfully his, but using his son as a punching bag was proving to be a great stress reliever.

Naruto was barely conscious. That much the boy knew, but he felt a familiar sensation of rage building in his chest, his vision turning red.

Orochimaru was about to grab the back of Naruto's collar, when his body just erupted with red chakra. It cloaked him like a suit of armor, a lone tail forming and knocking Orochimaru away

Naruto pushed himself up onto all fours, a menacing growl coming from his throat. He turned his head to glare at Orochimaru, who found himself staring into the eyes of a monster.

The jinchuriki bared his teeth, which had turned into fangs. His whisker marks had grown bigger, while the scar on his face looked more defined. His nails hardened into claws, stabbing through the dirt.

Blood dripped from Naruto's mouth, and when the first drop of the red liquid hit the ground, he charged, roaring in absolute fury.

* * *

Itachi managed to throw Kisame off of him after a few minutes of the shark nin dragging him through the forest. The two former partners now stood only ten feet away from each other, both in their respective kenjutsu stances.

"Fucking traitor..." Kisame growled, a twisted smile on his face. "I'm gonna enjoy feeding your chakra to Samehada."

"Good luck with that." Itachi said, an expressionless look on his face. "You'll need it."

Kisame didn't speak, narrowing his eyes. After a moment, his face broke out in a toothy grin while he did hand seals and shouted "Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu."

Itachi did his own signs and did the same move, copying his opponent's movements with his sharingan.

Glowing blue sharks launched through the air, smashing into each other, steam filling the air.

Through the white smoke, Itachi charged forward, katana still in his hand.

Kisame's grip on Samehada shifted, pulling it in an upwards stroke to parry Itachi's attack.

Their swords clashed, pressed hard against each other in a stalemate. The power struggle didn't last though, Itachi went for a kill shot straight out of the gate. Pulling out a kunai with his free hand, he tried to slash out Kisame's throat before the shark nin could react.

And while he did hit Kisame, it wasn't the kill shot he intended it to be. Instead, all he got was a scratch on the shark nin's face.

"Gah! You little bastard." Kisame growled, kicking Itachi in the chest and knocking him away. While it was true, in most aspects Itachi was just a better shinobi than him, Kisame was just a brute. He was much stronger than Itachi, and fighting him head to head was downright suicide.

'I can't overpower him.' Itachi conceded in his head, ducking under a quick strike from the monster of the mist. 'But I can certainly outsmart him.' Weaving through hand seals, he spoke under his breath "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

A giant ball of flame made its way towards Kisame, singeing the ground beneath it.

"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu." Kisame countered the fireball with an attack of his own, blasting a jet of water and dousing the flames easily.

Itachi's sharingan eyes followed Kisame's every movement, the shark nin hefting his sword once more and charge forward to engage Itachi.

Kisame swung for Itachi's neck, an attack that the Uchiha ducked under and proceeded to try and sweep Kisame's legs out.

Being much more nimble than most people his size, Kisame was easily able to jump over the low kick. The monster of the mist then tried bringing Samehada down with one hand like it was a hammer, sending his sword rocketing downward.

Itachi rolled back, letting the sword smash into the ground where he was. "You know Kisame, you're not bright." he said, a light smile gracing his features. "Picking a fight with me, that's a mistake no one has ever lived to repeat. I let you live when I left because I simply deemed you not worth the effort to kill."

"Oh yeah?" Kisame bristled, starting to see red. A personal flaw of his was his hatred for traitors, which in his eyes Itachi fit the bill perfectly. It made his judgement grow cloudy and quick to anger. "Then why don't I just show you why everyone fears the tailless tailed beast!"

Itachi's smirk broadened, much to Kisame's quiet confusion. Never the less, Kisame didn't slow down in the slightest.

When he reached Itachi however, the Uchiha leapt up into the trees, a strange hissing sound coming from beneath Kisame.

"The hell is that sound?" Kisame thought aloud, before looking to the ground and resisting the urge to face palm.

"Shit." Kisame swore, putting his arms over his face and expecting to be blasted to kingdom come. However, to further his confusion, the explosion never happened.

"A dud?" He frowned as he looked down at the paper bomb, not even noticing Itachi about to shatter his collarbone with a well placed kick.

"Karasu no Taron." Itachi dubbed as he brought down his foot, his toes aimed like a point.

Kisame fell to the ground, biting back a scream. He got up on one knee, where Itachi roundhouse kicked him in the face, sending him skidding across the ground.

"Are you tailless because you lost your dick or because you never had one to begin with." Itachi quipped, the smile never leaving his face. He hadn't got many chances to mouth off in a fight before, but damn was it fun.

Kisame used Samehada to help pull himself up to his feet, a snarl on his face. "Shut up!" He roared. He brought Samehada's up to his good shoulder and charged Itachi, slashing at the smaller man's head.

'Too easy.' Itachi smirked, ducking under it and letting it shatter the tree behind him. All he had to do was throw an insult out there to tick Kisame off, it was hilarious.

"Not bad, if you were aiming for the tree." Itachi said bluntly, this time not able to stop himself from chuckling as Kisame charged straight at him, Samehada raised above the shark nin's head.

Kisame swung, sailing the attack right over Itachi's head. To the Uchiha, this attack seemed to be sloppy and left plenty of defensive holes for Itachi to exploit.

The Uchiha tried to attack Kisame's exposed back however, the shark nin was a sheer brute. The blow did connect, slashing right across his back, but it proved ineffective, and got Itachi a foot into his face. Rolling back from the momentum of his former partner's kick, the Uchiha asked "Why would you and Orochimaru work together to take me down? I thought Orochimaru left the organization."

Kisame smiled darkly, showing his fangs. "It's more of a 'You help us, We'll help you' kind of deal. As for you, you're not the target Itachi, You're just the distraction. We came for the boy." The shark nin laughed to himself, and continued to speak. "To think, that boy has so much power inside of him, and he'll never tap into it."

For a moment, Itachi was worried that they knew Naruto was part Uchiha, but upon Kisame finishing what he was saying, he worries subsided.

"Now that I think about it, I should have known that boy was a jinchuriki before I even got here. I'm not even a sensor, and I could tell his chakra reserves are massive enough for me to feel a mile away!"

"Why go after the nine tails? You can't take it from him before you take the other eight." Itachi asked, not expecting an answer.

"Whatever gave you that impression Itachi? We were going after him last because he was surrounded by top tier ninjas from the best village in the world. Now, he's only got you watching over him. This is the best shot we have at getting him." Kisame explained.

Itachi's demeanor relax a degree, but he was still ready for battle. "Are you done talking?" he asked coolly.

"Yeah, are you done breathing?" Kisame answered Itachi with another question.

"No," Itachi said, his Mangekyo Sharingan activating. "But are you?"

Kisame knew better, yet he did it anyway. He looked directly into Itachi's eyes, and immediately regretted it.

Before he knew what hit him, the world turned into a weird black and gray, the sky turning a blood-red. He tried to move forward, only to find that he was two dimensional, and as flappable as paper.

Itachi had yet to move from his spot, but he had turned black and white, with the only hint of color in the entire world seemed to be his mangekyou eyes.

"I can make seconds into days, imagine what I can do to you in one minute Kisame." Itachi whispered, though his voice seemed to come out as a shout right inside Kisame's head. A circle of black flame formed around Kisame, inching closer to the shark nin.

"You think fire scares me Itachi!" Kisame screamed at him, though his voice was mute. He could not hear his own voice, though Itachi could hear it.

"No, but at the end, it will terrify you." Itachi's voice was a whisper in the wind, yet still the loud echoing voice as before.

A kunai impaled itself through Kisame's back, before a shuriken flew into his chest and a Katana through his hip. Blades of all shapes and sizes tore their way into Kisame, burrowing into his flesh.

Blood dripped from the corners of Kisame's mouth, but he refused to scream.

The black flames began to lick his ankles, before actually beginning to burn Kisame straight to ash. This time, Kisame literally inwardly screamed, keeping his mouth shut as the scream of pain seemed to die in his throat.

"No one is unbreakable Kisame... though you're already broken." The various blades impaled throughout Kisame's entire body had lit themselves on fire, forcing the shark nin finally let out scream in terror and agony.

In the real world, Kisame's body slumped to the ground, though Itachi was unsure if he was still alive or not. He would've cared, finished him off and all that jazz, if not for a bright explosion of chakra coming from the way he came, a ray of bluish white appearing like a beacon going through the clouds.

"Naruto..."

* * *

Thirty minutes ago

Naruto lunged for Orochimaru's throat like an animal, and that was his own opinion. He felt stronger, faster, and overall more powerful than he had in the last two months, though at the same time he never felt hatred like this since the bridge.

Orochimaru swatted Naruto's hand away, which actually burned his arm. The heat coming off of Naruto was like straight out of a furnace.

The snake sannin narrowed his eyes, before he mentally shrugged and aimed a kick for the jinchuriki's bruised jaw.

Naruto felt his more animalistic side kick into gear and instead of blocking it, Naruto ate the kick, figuratively and very literally. He caught the kick within inches of his face and sank his teeth straight into Orochimaru's leg, his claws impaling themselves on either side of Orochimaru's leg.

Orochimaru was so surprised that he lost his footing, which led to Naruto spinning around and swinging Orochimaru around like he was a rag doll.

He let Orochimaru's leg go, but not before he managed to tear out a piece of him with his teeth. The Sannin flew straight through the trees and smashed into a large rock.

Orochimaru groaned before standing up, ignoring the annoying pain shooting up his leg. 'Pesky little brat.' He thought with a disturbing smirk, looking up to stare down the child that was his opponent.

Instead, he was greeted with a fist colliding with his chin. The attack didn't really hurt, just catching the sannin off guard, like a lot of what Naruto has been able to do.

Orochimaru batted Naruto upwards with a back hand, watching the boy do a back flip in the air and catch a boulder in mid flight, the heat his chakra cloak was giving off melting straight through the rock he was crouching on.

"Come on Naruto, this barely even counts as a warm up." Orochimaru said in a mocking tone, interested to see how much of the Kyuubi's power he could control.

Naruto just growled darkly, tightening his fist. Orochimaru didn't flinch as a second tail began to emerge, and the heat Naruto was giving off got even hotter.

If Orochimaru was worried though, he didn't show it. He stood there, almost completely relaxed while he smirked up at Naruto in an almost arrogant fashion. He hadn't even been trying at this point, maybe going at a really, really slow old man walking down the street compared to a professional runner sprinting.

Meh, maybe the old man was doing a power walk... he'll give him a _little _credit.

Naruto lunged at him again, still trying to impale his claws through Orochimaru's throat.

Orochimaru leaned out of the way, ignoring the fact that Naruto was practically a miniature sun in terms of how hot the chakra cloak was right now. He noticed that though they were minor at this point, not even noticeable until the adrenaline fades away, but Naruto had minor burns dotting his face and neck, likely extending through the rest of his body.

He jabbed Naruto in the gut, before he kicked him in the temple.

Instead of sending him flying like he intended, Naruto put a hand beneath him in a cartwheel and whacked Orochimaru right in the jaw with his foot.

The sannin stumbled, and Naruto took full advantage with an uppercut to the chin, actually knocking Orochimaru into the air. Naruto grabbed Orochimaru's ankle and smashed him into the ground, letting him bounce up once before kicking him and sending him flying towards the road.

Orochimaru turned around in midair and did a flip, landing on his feet with his back turned to Naruto. He turned around to look at Naruto, the arrogant smirk still haven't left his face.

"You could grow into a major thorn in my side if I let you live Naruto." He said, laughing slightly. Was he demented or something? "But you know, I'm feeling generous and I'll throw you a bone. You want to measure your growth, I'll actually show you a tenth of my power, sound fair?"

If Naruto was even listening, he didn't show it. They were now within arm's distance of the closest house from the village they were trying to leave.

The clone Naruto was watching with wide eyes at what he was seeing, the child clutching his back tightly. He couldn't find the kid's parents, which was starting to worry the clone. Not as much as seeing himself looking the way he was right now, but still it worried him.

"Kid, where's your house at? That's probably where your parents are." The clone turned around to look at the boy.

"It's right there." He pointed at the house right next to Orochimaru, which made the clone curse every god he could think of. "I can see Mommy inside."

His mother was inside. Next to the house with mister snake god and terrifying monster Naruto.

Lovely.

The clone relented a sigh, before he spoke. "Then hang tight kid, because this is a horrible idea."

Back in the fight, The real Naruto launched himself at Orochimaru, aiming to pummel the man straight to hell.

Orochimaru moved like a viper, ducking and weaving under Naruto's assault as if it was child's play.

"Is this your best? Really?" Orochimaru laughed, backhanding Naruto in the chest and sending him across the road, smashing him through a building.

Naruto was in a daze, not even able to stand. That felt more like getting hit by an elephant rather than getting backhanded!

The chakra cloak just dissipated, revealing the burns adorning his body. His right sleeve was torn off at the elbow, exposing his arm, and he had a nasty bruise forming on his jaw.

Orochimaru began to walk towards the destroyed building, when out of the corner of his eye he saw the clone that ran off earlier, desperately trying to get into building beside him.

Without warning, Orochimaru lifted his arm and let a snake fly at the clone, A sword coming out of its jaws. The clone reacted quickly, leaning to the side and catching it by the neck. He snapped said bone, before flinging it away, getting in a stance to defend himself.

"A single clone, expecting to be able to defeat me? All I need to do is land one hit." Orochimaru said plainly.

"Not if you can't catch me." The clone said, turning on his heels and sprinting the other direction.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes and gave a sigh. "Children don't learn." A cloud of smoke encompassed where he was and he appeared right in front of Naruto.

"Say, is that the kid from earlier?" Orochimaru asked, pointing to the boy clinging to Naruto's back. The woman that was inside her house saw her son and ran outside, trying to get to him.

Orochimaru glanced at her, and lifted his arm, ignoring Naruto's scream of outrage as he shot a snake for the woman's throat.

"You son of a bitch!" The clone screamed, covering the kid's eyes as the woman had her throat ripped open.

"Mommy...?" The boy whimpered, knocking Naruto's hand away to look at her. "Mommy!"

The boy started running towards her, the clone chasing after him yelling "Wait, don't-"

Orochimaru grabbed the boy by the throat, smirking while looking him in the eye.

"Don't hurt him!" Naruto shouted at Orochimaru, sounding desperate.. "Leave him alone!"

"No, I don't think I will leave him alone." The snake sannin said, his face twisting in a sadistic grin. "I want to see what happens to a jinchuriki when they're angry. I want to see how you react to your own failure." His grip tightened and a sickening pop filled the air, the boy's head falling limply to the side with his eyes still open.

Orochimaru tossed the boy into the clone of Naruto's chest, who stood there unresponsive and dissipated when the body hit him.

The snake sannin turned to look at the destroyed house almost expectantly. "Come out and play Naruto, if you can even stand."

Inside, Naruto was still struggling to get back up to his feet when the memories hit him like a punch to the gut. For a moment, he couldn't move from the shock he felt, but that was quickly replaced.

Replaced by absolute fury.

Naruto felt a wall inside of him crash down, and a rage like nothing he felt before consumed him. It wasn't like what happened on the bridge or a few minutes ago. No, this couldn't have been the Kyuubi's power. No, this was something else.

Naruto screamed in outrage, a blue light blasting through the ruins of the building he was in and going up into the sky like a beacon. The winds increased to typhoon speeds, the very ground beneath Naruto's feat began to char and crack from the sheer power being unleashed above it.

Orochimaru was certainly intrigued at this turn of events. 'Never in my life have I seen such a surprising individual. Just how much power is locked inside your body?'

His thoughts ran dead when Naruto lowered his head, the Jinchuriki's eyes boring into Orochimaru's soul.

They were not Naruto's normal eyes. No, they were brighter, the color of a mid day sky instead of a sapphire, and they had two black commas directly across from each other, a bigger black dot dead in the center.

Naruto had unlocked his sharingan.

Even though it was incomplete, it was a beautiful site for Orochimaru, to see such an anomaly ascend for the first time before his eyes. 'This is the result. This is what Minato and that Uchiha girl created.' The snake sannin thought with a grin. 'I wonder, how does it vary from the norm?'

Naruto looked calmly at Orochimaru, his vision never being so clear in his life. Everything was more defined, he could see everything to the smallest degree, even the way each blade of grass blew in the breeze.

"So Naruto-kun, You _do _have the eyes of your mother." Orochimaru praised, looking sickly satisfied. "But yet, even with all of your sudden progress, your still behind Sasuke. The _prodigy _of the Uchiha has mastered his sharingan, yet you just unlocked yours."

Naruto's body language gave nothing away, wearing a perfect poker face."I've got one thing that Sasuke doesn't though."

"And what is that?" Orochimaru asked still smirking arrogantly. It didn't matter that Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke in two months, Naruto was confident that Kakashi had yet to teach Sasuke this.

Naruto did one hand sign, before disappearing. In the next moment, his fist crashed into the blind side of Orochimaru's head.

"I learned how to Shushin." Naruto said from behind Orochimaru, before disappearing again.

"Amai Agoongaku!" Naruto's voice was behind him, making Orochimaru turn around. Naruto's foot collided with Orochimaru's chin, snapping the sannin's head backwards.

Orochimaru put his hands on the ground and pushed himself up to his feet, his eyes darting around. He smirked, and ducked under the blow from behind in time this time, letting Naruto throw a flurry of blows at him to gauge how fast he could actually move.

'Much faster than before, more precise. His blows still lack Sasuke's raw strength with his own sharingan active, yet they are much faster. Still, maybe going at around a fifth of my power will suffice.'

Orochimaru swung his hand experimentally at Naruto, testing how he reacted with his new eyes. He was unsurprising when Naruto brushed the blow away, continuing his unsuccessful onslaught of punches.

'His defense is as expected of someone with the sharingan. The only true alterations are his movements as of yet, though he has yet he hasn't used any jutsu since awakening his eyes.' Orochimaru thought, his defenses beginning to wane.

Naruto finally landed a blow on Orochimaru's face, but it did little damage. In fact, all it did was scrape Naruto's knuckle, as if he hit a rock instead of a skull.

Orochimaru grinned, and kneed Naruto in the gut, then uppercutting the boy backwards.

The snake sannin added more force than he meant to on the two blows, feeling Naruto's ribcage and nose break on impact from them both. Orochimaru mentally shrugged at his error, noting that it didn't kill the boy, just injured him more than he meant to.

After all, toying around with his opponent wouldn't be fun if they fell unconscious after only a few minutes of battle.

Naruto got to his feet, wiping the blood from his nose away with his arm, before getting back in his stance for more. 'I will not die like this... I will not let this bastard beat me!' Naruto pledged in his head. 'Lets see just how many of these clones I can make!'

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, summoning forth as many clones as he could muster.

Even Orochimaru was a little surprised. This was not a dozen, not fifty, not even a hundred. There had to be over five thousand clones, all with sharingan eyes and able to move faster than ever before.

'Okay, this is ridiculous.' Orochimaru decided, his eyes darting around. 'What is giving this boy so much chakra?'

The real Naruto was on his knees, panting. He was far in the back, hidden from Orochimaru's sight. But he was tired, he had never summoned anywhere near that many clones at once before. On top of that, a rib might have punctured a lung from Orochimaru's earlier attack.

'And to think this guy isn't even trying!' Naruto thought in slight amazement. 'I can't beat him, but I can stall him for Itachi-sensei to finish off... I hope.'

Orochimaru grinned, and just lifted his arms to launch snakes at the clones like rapid fire. Each reptile had a foot long sword coming from its mouth, impaling the clones in various locations. Once they were in arm's-length, however, Orochimaru made quick work of the rest of the army.

However, Once again, Naruto managed to surprise him. As Orochimaru took out the last clone, which he thought was the real one, Naruto did a series of hand signs and muttered the name under his breath.

"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku no jutsu!"

The attack hit Orochimaru right in the chest, knocking him back and smacking him into the outside wall of the inn of the town.

Orochimaru shook himself of a momentary dizzy spell, and just had enough time to react to the fist about to knock him into next week.

'Damn.' Naruto thought, his fist smashing through the wall behind Orochimaru's head like it was made of paper. Orochimaru jabbed him in the stomach again, before elbowing Naruto in the back of his neck, sending him onto all fours.

However, before Orochimaru could try to finish him off, Naruto pushed himself up into the air and spun around, extending his leg and shouting "Eat this!"

Orochimaru ate it alright, a foot hitting him right in the chin and smashing his head right through the wood.

Naruto landed on his feet, punching Orochimaru in the sternum with all of his might, launching him straight through the inn and sending him into the forest behind it. The jinchuriki chased after him, feeling his confidence beginning to rise.

However, as soon as it hit a ceiling, it dropped dead to the floor. Naruto extended his fist to hit Orochimaru's face, but the sannin simply leaned to the side to let Naruto stumble past him.

Naruto bent over trying to stop himself, and he was giving a kick to the side of the head, smashing him into the ground hard enough to see stars. He tried to get up, but Orochimaru's foot stomped down on his chest making him wince.

The sannin stared down at Naruto with an unreadable expression, before he broke out in a grin.

"We'll be in touch Naruto-kun, try not to die any time soon... I have plans for you."

Orochimaru brought his foot down on Naruto's face, and he fell into a sea of black.

* * *

Konoha, November 2

"Begin Sasuke." Kakashi said, his arms crossed as he watched his students. They were in training ground seven, having been there since early morning. The afternoon sun was still not getting any warmer, Sasuke being able to see his own breath.

Since Naruto's 'death' two months ago, Kakashi absolutely refused to let team seven have anything above a D rank, mostly because of how that simple C rank turned into an A rank.

However, he absolutely refused to reign in their relentless training, especially with Sasuke. When he not training team seven or tutoring Sasuke, Kakashi was out taking solo missions to sharpen his skills.

He still had yet to really teach much of anything to Sakura, the girl simply not suited to fight as he did. Where he focused on ninjutsu, Sakura lacked the reserves to use half the moves that he wanted to teach her.

Fortunately, Sakura had taken to learning medical ninjutsu, believing that if she could have healed either Sasuke or Kakashi, it might've made a difference on the bridge. Even though there was only one person that died, that person was her teammate, and her friend. It hurt, especially since she was just starting to see Naruto was more than just a nuisance.

Sasuke however, took a different route. If Kakashi was being careless with how hard he was going, than Sasuke was being downright reckless. Every waking moment, he spent his time training. Whether that was working out kinks in his Taijutsu or perfecting his arsenal of Ninjutsu, he did it constantly.

His sharingan made copying the maneuvers easier, but Kakashi wanted him to have to put in some form of work and showed him the weakest possible version of every move he taught him.

Which to this point, had only been one move. He was afraid to do more than that, because if Sasuke did a single thing wrong with the weaker version of the attack, the best he could hope for would be a broken arm.

Imagine the repercussions of screwing up the powered up version.

"Chidori!" Sasuke cried, thrusting a lightning covered hand through a wooden dummy, leaving a small hole in the center.

'Damn it!' The last Uchiha loyal to Konoha swore in his head before speaking aloud, albeit in a quiet tone mostly to himself. "Still not good enough..."

"It's getting better Sasuke." Kakashi encouraged, setting up a new target. "You just need to keep practicing-"

"I don't want to practice, I want to hit someone!" Sasuke snapped, glancing at Kakashi with onyx eyes. "I have two months of pent up aggression that I have to take out on stuff that can't even hit me back! How will we be prepared for the chunin exams if we can't even do a mission that requires us to actually fight?!"

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask. Where did Sasuke even hear about them from? He wasn't planning on even telling team seven of the impending test yet, because he didn't think they were ready. "The exams this time strictly need three members on a team in order to participate. Two man cells are not allowed."

Not a lie, just not the truth either. It was _recommended _for cells of three, but not enforced. Oh well.

"Team eight is already signed on to participate, and Team ten is probably going to follow suit." Sasuke grumbled, going through hand signs again.

"And you think they're going to be good enough to win?" Kakashi asked in a dry voice, his lone visible eyebrow raised. Of course, he knew Sasuke was within shouting distance of being the best genin in all of Konoha at this point, but he wouldn't say that out loud in front of his pupil. He already had some ego issues, it would only hurt him to swell his head more.

"Right now? Probably not." Sasuke admitted, another good sign. "But in a month, I will be... Chidori!"

Sasuke slid his arm out, beads of sweat rolling down his face as he continued his statement. "Sakura should be good enough to get promoted as well."

"I doubt it, again." Kakashi ordered, to which Sasuke nodded after a moment to catch his breath. "Team seven already has to be on top of their game with a missing member, the thought that both of you will get promoted is a dream."

"We don't need another teammate, we already have one." Sasuke said, his voice icy. "You backed me up on this when they tried to give us a new member, the only person we'd accept back on Team seven is Dobe."

"Actually, I'm the only reason that you don't have a new teammate." Kakashi said blankly. "Your opinion didn't matter to them, the only reason they didn't is because I told them they would only find half of the body."

"Half?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Half. Now, do the Chidori again."

Sasuke went through the hand seals quickly, and cried out a third "Chidori!" before stabbing the third target. This time, he wasn't so quick about pulling his arm out, and when he finally did so, he fell down to his hands and knees, sweat dripping off his forehead and hair.

"Looks like... three... is still my limit." Sasuke panted to himself, though out of the corner of his eyes he saw Kakashi setting up another dummy.

"Again." Kakashi ordered, lightly kicking Sasuke's shoulder to get the boy up. "You say that you're the best genin in Konoha, so get up and prove it. Prove to me you deserve to go to the chunin exams."

Sasuke tried to get up but fell back down. "...I can't..." Sasuke panted heavily, barely even able to lift his head to look at Kakashi. "I'm out of chakra-"

"If I ever hear you say the words 'I can't' again, I'll give you the worse beating of your life." Kakashi said, his tone turning harsh and cold. Sasuke lifted his head to look at his sensei, a little alarmed at the sudden change of attitude. "Get the hell up and do it again."

Sasuke maintained his stare at Kakashi for a few more moment, before struggling back up to his feet. He took a deep breath and went through hand seals at a much slower pace than before.

Kakashi watched wordlessly, not giving Sasuke any advice. He wouldn't let Sasuke give himself a ceiling under any circumstance.

The Uchiha managed to gather enough chakra to form the move, but thanks to his exhaustion he couldn't hold it and it exploded in his face. He fell limply to the ground face first.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked, his tone still harsh but not quite as much as before. "I told you to do it again."

"I tried..." Sasuke said, his voice muffled on the ground. He couldn't even move right now.

"Trying isn't good enough." Kakashi couldn't believe this. He relented a sigh and shook his head. "And you are the latest prodigy to date... If you were ten years older, you'd be considered mediocre at best."

The harsh truth went in one ear and out the other for the Uchiha, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Kakashi.

"We'll continue this tomorrow." Kakashi said, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"Fucking drill sergeant." Sasuke mumbled, falling asleep exactly where he was laying.

* * *

Ino sighed dejectedly as her team was being forced to take the bell test again. This time they only faired slightly better, because they actually knew the point of the test from the beginning.

Slight because instead of whipping their ass in ten minutes, they lasted eleven. Choji had a broken leg, so their big hitter was out of commission. They were currently playing the duck and run tactic, having hidden from Asuma for the last hour. It got to the point they were all hiding at the top of a tree, the leaves that had yet to fall hiding them.

"Aren't you guys trying to convince me to sign you all up for the chunin exams?" Asuma called out, walking through the forest of team ten's training ground "You're not doing a good job you know!"

"I still say my plan would've worked." Ino grumbled. "Choji could've distract him, Shika can just use his shadow to hold Asuma sensei and I can-"

"It wouldn't have work Ino, Choji can't keep up with Asuma's speed, I can't overpower him, and if you miss you're left wide open to an attack." Shikamaru sighed lazily. "This is such a drag, why can't we just throw in the towel so I can go home and get some sleep."

"I swear to Kami Shikamaru," Ino smacked him lightly in the back of the head. "You say my plans suck and won't come up with one better!"

"That's because I already did." Shikamaru shrugged. "Your plan is a good one, just needed a little shifting around with Choji's busted leg. You and I play the distraction, since we're faster than Choji and Asuma can't knock us both out at once, which would let Choji get him from behind, and we pray that Asuma is having an off day."

"Cute plan, might've worked too... if I didn't hear it."

Shikamaru's face turned chalky and he looked beside him. Asuma was leisurely lounging at the end of the branch, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He smiled lightly and gave them a good natured wave.

"AHHH!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later

Team ten was all sitting on the ground with their legs crossed, scowls on their faces. Large bumps were on top of their heads, almost glistening in the afternoon sun.

"You kids are getting better, but still I'm not convinced." Asuma said, scratching his beard honestly. The cigarette was nearing the end of its lifespan, barely any tobacco left over the filter. "None of you lack the talent to take part in the chunin exams, but you each lack the mindset of a chunin."

Ino shot a look at Shikamaru. He was the reason they didn't see Asuma coming, at least from her perspective. "Not all of us, if Shika wasn't so lazy we'd-"

"All of you Ino. All of you lack the mindset of someone who will be asked to lead squads, take solo missions, and not be babied any longer. You are still to spoiled, too used to things going your way. You also tend to blame others instead of taking responsibility for the team."

Ino deflated, looking away from Shikamaru and towards the ground.

"However, you are not entirely wrong." Asuma admitted, turning his attention to the Nara clan heir. "Shikamaru, you're unmotivated to accomplish anything above mediocrity in life, and that is dragging the entire team down there with you. The other two want more out of their careers than this you know."

Shikamaru looked away, frowning. He knew they wanted to excel, but was he really dragging them down?

"And Choji... you're to nice." Asuma smiled in amusement, because that wasn't something he thought he would say was a fault in a ninja before today. "You lack the backbone to beat someone when they deserve it, which can be seen as the morally good thing. But when the chips are down, and your teammates need you to be angry and want to hurt their enemy, you fail to do so."

"Sorry Asuma-sensei." Choji mumbled.

Before Asuma could continue, Shikamaru felt the need to speak up, a rare occurrence for him. "To be fair though, they are still a month away." he pointed out. "And that's just the date we have to leave to get there on time. The actual test is December tenth, which still give us a little more time to grow up more."

"And get stronger." Ino added in agreement.

"And eat more food!"

"Not helping Choji."

"But still!"

"Give us another shot Sensei, one we actually stand a chance in." Ino pleaded. She knew they were good enough to make it, and damn it she wanted that promotion!

"I've seen enough." Asuma said bluntly, putting out his cigarette. He took a deep breath, as if purposely drawing it out for dramatic effect.

"I already signed you guys up."

Cue crickets chirping...

"What!"

Asuma chuckled to himself, rubbing his neck. Honestly, why hadn't anyone told him how much fun it was messing with his genin squad? Over the last five months, he had seen some of the most hilarious things thanks to their blunders, much to their annoyance.

"The day you guys can beat me is the day I retire. You weren't supposed to win, no team's won either the first try or the retake." Asuma explained. "It was protocol, we had to measure your growth. You guys are going to the chunin exams in a month, so congratulations."

Team ten's joyous shouts were heard clear across the village.

* * *

November 2, night time

Naruto groaned, opening his eyes and finding himself staring up at a familiar ceiling once again.

'Damn, what hit me?' He thought in pain, rubbing his head in an attempt to make the splitting head ache fade away. "It feels like I just got kicked in the face by a donkey... twice."

"That's to be expected, facing Orochimaru." Itachi's voice spoke up next to him.

Naruto looked over at him, "Welcome back to the land of the living Naruto-kun." Itachi greeted, a plate of sushi in front of him. There was a bowl of Miso ramen on the nightstand next to him.

However, before Naruto could do anything, he remembered the tragedy that just occurred due to his negligence. "...Those villagers..."

Itachi said nothing, because there was nothing he could say to make Naruto feel better. It might not have been Naruto's fault that people died in the crossfire of his battle, but he certainly had an opportunity to prevent it.

He just wasn't strong enough.

"...You've unlocked your eyes." The raven summoner noted, looking at the boy's eyes shining unnaturally bright in the dim lighting. Two commas appeared across each other, his eye brightening to reflect the color of a midday sky instead of a sapphire.

"I got them... when Orochimaru killed a kid and his mother." Naruto said, clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white.

Itachi's brow furrowed. Naruto didn't know the boy, yet that awoke his eyes? It was plausible, Sasuke only achieved them to save someone's life, so failing to do so might do the same.

"All that training was useless, I'm no better than I was two months ago! Damn it!" Naruto shouted in frustration while he hit the wall next to him, denting the plaster. "I wasn't strong enough to make the guy flinch!"

"Naruto, calm down." Itachi ordered. "Yes, you lost that fight, but in all honesty it was expected. As far as you've come, you're still not an S-rank shinobi. And right now, I need you to focus on something else."

Naruto breathed deeply, nodding in understanding.

"Focus your chakra through your eyes, you should be able to do this to turn them on and off."

Naruto blinked, finding that it took a moment, but he could. The normal blue shade reappeared, and the two commas disappeared.

"Can you still see?" Itachi asked, slightly worried.

"Yeah, not as well though." Naruto muttered, still clearly upset with himself at losing.

"Naruto, your training has helped you jump leaps and bounds." Itachi said, understanding his frustration. "Two months ago, you would've been killed five seconds flat against a skilled chunin that took you seriously. The fact that you can say you went toe to toe with Orochimaru of the Sannin and lived is not only impressive, but astonishing. I'm proud of you Naruto, you've grown so much more powerful in these two months than the dying boy I fished out of a river. You're practically destined for greatness, but you must work hard in everything you do to earn it."

Naruto looked up at the man, never hearing such praise about him in his life. "...you really think so, Itachi-sensei?"

"A few days to let your injuries heal, then a few more to learn how to use your sharingan's full capacity, and I promise, you would be ready for your exam in three months time." Itachi promised. "You'll be delayed a week at the most."

"And by the end of that week, I'd be home? Where would you be?"

Itachi relented a sigh. Oh, he knew what he was about to do, and it was so outrageous that it might as well of been considered suicide.

"Tying up loose ends."

* * *

Orochimaru was staring out the window in his office, watching as countless people continued to build the village.

They were members of his partner's clan. His partner was still out and about, taking an elite squad with him to go and gather samples for Orochimaru.

But that was not what was on the snake nin's mind. No, he was thinking about the potential power that Naruto could possess, how it was just absolutely ridiculous how his pedigree made him seem like his potential had no ceiling. 'No wonder the Jinchuriki of the world are feared...' he mused, his reflection staring back at him through the glass.

There was a knock on the door, and Orochimaru glanced back at it once before he spoke with his back turned. "Enter."

The door clicked open, and in stepped a woman with fair skin and dark eyes, her light blue hair in a spiky ponytail with longs strands of hair framing her face. Her outfit consists of a green dress with a long left sleeve and a short right one, a red turtle-neck which has a white, fluffy collar and brown gloves. Under the dress, she was wearing a one piece red suit. For shoes, she wore calf-length brown sandal boots.

"You're late Guren." Orochimaru said, his back still turned. "Still, it is good that you showed up when you did. I need someone to be my eyes during the chunin exams this time around, and act as the sensei of the team we are sending in."

"What about our insider? And what Team?" Guren asked, wanting him to elaborate further. Orochimaru was unusually happy, which struck Guren as odd.

"He will participate to scout out potential in the genin crop this year, but I need someone to do the same for some of the higher ups." Orochimaru explained. "The exams are taking place in Kumoagakure this year, and I want to put a little display of force. That, and I want to see if the relationship between Suna and Konoha has degraded further."

"Hai."

"Besides, our insider will have his eyes on Team seven for me, his objectives will be different from your own."

Guren had heard of the team, Orochimaru spoke very highly of Uchiha Sasuke's potential and Hatake Kakashi's prowess. However, team seven was missing a member and had yet to sign up, at least to her knowledge.

Still she was smart enough to not say anything on that. When Orochimaru tells you to do something, you better make damn sure to do it.

"Have you ever seen a jinchuriki up close Guren?" Orochimaru asked, a strange change of topic in her mind. "So strange, so _powerful._"

"What?" The change of topic was unexpected to her, though Orochimaru was behaving erratically for some reason. Almost... twitchy.

"Oh, yes. Your unasked question." Orochimaru said, smiling in a disturbing fashion. "The missing member of team seven should be back in Konoha by the end of the week. I've already tested him... team seven will be in the chunin exams, and something tells me they'll go far into it." Orochimaru added in jollily.

"Okay..." Guren was a little more than concerned with Orochimaru's mental well being right now, the man was far to jolly for her taste. She preferred it when the man was forcing people to fight to the death or torturing some poor soul, not when he seemed like he was on the rush of ten cups of coffee and about to tap dance.

"Okay? No, it's better than okay..." Orochimaru laughed. "It's perfect."

"If you say so." Guren shrugged. "When am I meeting this team that I'm supposed to be leading?"

As soon as she asked, there was a knock on the door. Guren glanced back, while Orochimaru turned around to face her and called out "Enter."

In stepped three fourteen year old kids.

The first was a boy that had spiky, dark hair and dark eyes. He wore a dark yellow shirt with two black stripes and three prints of the kanji for death down the front. His forehead protector came down to wrap around his head like a helmet. This was Zaku.

The second was a girl that had very long black hair, almost reaching down to the ground, tied by a violet ribbon right near the end, and black eyes. She wore a forehead protector, a pale green vest somewhat similar to a flak jacket, and snake patterned pants and a scarf with black spots. This was Kin.

The third and obviously the leader of the trio, he had bandages covering most of his face, leaving only his left eye uncovered. He also wore a large poncho with long sleeves, a patterned scarf around his neck, a mass of straw protruding from the back of his scarf, and a large amplifier on his right arm for most of his attacks. His back was hunched, which made him look smaller than he actually was. This was Dosu.

"Meet your team Guren." Orochimaru said, using his hand to gesture to the three children. "I want you to train them for the next month, before taking them to the exam."

"Wait, this chick is our new sensei?" Zaku asked, giving her a once over. "She's kinda hot..."

"This _chick _will knit a sweater from your intestines." Guren glowered at the boy, a kunai of crystal forming in her hand in a threatening manner.

"Knock it off Zaku." Dosu ordered. "She's in charge of training us, don't make this hard on all of us."

Guren glanced at him, but said nothing. She turned on her heels and said "Alright brats, lets go."

Team Dosu glanced at Orochimaru, who gave a smirk and waved them off. They turned around and followed their new sensei, eager to get stronger.

* * *

Kisame was kneeling in front of Pein, who looked down at him impassively. Samehada was strapped to his back, pressed against a bandage beneath his Akatsuki cloak.

"The fox jinchuriki got away." Pein's observation was on point, though Kisame said nothing of the sort yet. "How could he have escaped from a sannin and yourself, Kisame? Please explain."

"You're asking the wrong person." Kisame grunted, his eyes on the ground. "While I fought Itachi, Orochimaru was the one that fought the boy leader-sama."

Pein looked down at the Monster of the mist for a moment, before he turned his head and attention to the vast city before him.

'I should have known Orochimaru would pull this.' He thought, noticing the messager hawk coming to him, bearing an Otogakure insignia.

It landed on his outstretched arm, and he unrolled the message on it, reading it silently.

"...It does not matter." Pein waved off, his face still blank. "We got what we needed today."

Kisame was confused by that. He was under the impression that they wanted to take the fox to jumpstart their mission and make it easier down the road. They still needed funds, it will take three years to build up the amount needed. But still, if they could've taken the Kyuubi, they would've been able to avoid Konoha all together, assuring their success.

What was on that message that made Pein change his plans?

"Orochimaru has delivered to us a report on his abilities... it's safe to say that even with two months away from his team, they will be participating in the exams." Pein stated, walking towards the open window. "This could work out for our favor."

"Huh?" Kisame was confused. Was Pein even talking to him at this point?

"Do not worry yourself over this Kisame. It was best for all of us that he got away." Pein said with his back turned, a streak of lightning flashing through the skies. "Go to Otogakure, and deliver a message for me Kisame."

"To Orochimaru?" Kisame asked. He wasn't complaining, but didn't they have messenger hawks of their own?

Oh wait... Itachi's raven's did that...

"Yes. Tell him to order his spy to watch Uzumaki's progress." Pein ordered. "And to keep me informed."

"Hai leader-sama." Kisame bowed his head before standing up. He walked towards the door, not speaking the thoughts in his head. 'Though Orochimaru probably already did that first part.'

* * *

Jutsu list (In order they appear)

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Shadow Clone. B-ranked. Instead of making fake clones that cannot do much of anything, these clones are solid. The caster can remember everything the clone does, such as what they read or what they've seen.

Mega Inpakuto- Mega impact. C-ranked. A surprise attack where the user suddenly jumps up and delivers a devastating knee strike to their opponent.

Fūton: Daitoppa- Great Breakthrough. C-ranked. A technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, though it's power is determined by its user (IE, an average chunin uses it, it can destroy a part of a forest. A kage can use this to destroy an entire mountain.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu- Great Fireball. C-ranked. A popular move among the Uchiha clan, It is a technique where the user's chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth as a massive orb

Katon: Karyū Endan- Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. B-ranked. The user molds their chakra into flames, then manipulates the shape into a dragon (The ones with no wings).

Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu- Water shark bullet. B-ranked. The user shapes water into the form of a large shark and thrusting their hand forward, sends it hurtling towards the opponent at high-speeds, resulting in a powerful impact.

Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu- Water bullet. C-ranked. A highly versatile technique which has many variations. After kneading chakra in their stomach, the user expels a large quantity of water in the form of a torrent towards their intended target.

Karasu no Taron- Crow's talon. C-ranked. Where the user leaps over their opponents head, driving their foot down into the base of their opponent's neck with their toes forming a point.

Tsukiyomi- Moon Reader. S-ranked. A genjutsu that is noted to be one of the most powerful in existence. It requires eye contact to be performed, time all but stopping in reality. While no physical injuries are inflicted in reality, very few are able to walk away from this technique with their minds in tact.

Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. A-ranked. A massive version of the regular shadow clone technique, it clones mass numbers of the user.

Amai Agoongaku- Sweet Chin Music. B-ranked. A strong kick that is aimed straight for an opponent's chin, producing a loud smacking sound through the air on contact. This attack can decapitate enemies

Fūton: Shinkūgyoku- Vacuum Sphere. B-ranked. The user takes a deep breath and then exhales a powerful blast of wind chakra. It can be fired in rapid succession from one shot, dispersing the attack over an expansive range, enough to make it difficult to avoid them entirely without taking any damage. Due to the properties of this technique, the expelled blasts are capable of piercing into and potentially through an opponent's flesh when they collide with it.

* * *

And that's a wrap on chapter two. I decided to put the jutsu names in Japanese (Almost all of my favorite stories on this site do it, so why not?).

Please note that update speeds will vary. Sometimes, they are quick like this was, and others not so much. I have no schedule set for this and update it whenever, so don't go cursing at me if I'm gone a month or two.

Also, a review or two is mightily apprieciated... or twenty of them... (Hint hint)

I went through this chapter on February 16 to add more variety to the fighting, since it particularly lacked any taijutsu attacks. (In this chapter they were customs since it was only Naruto and Itachi using them.)

Ocean's fury, signing off


	3. Homecoming

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

November 8, early morning

A week passed by relatively slow for Naruto, mostly due to being forced to spend half the week on bed rest. Once he was able to move, Itachi made him jump right into how to use his sharingan, giving him pointers and sparring with him to help Naruto train it.

And while he was perfectly healed, he was still sore from the fight he had with Orochimaru a little over a week ago. He didn't know it then, but he used all of his reserves in making the army of clones to fight against Orochimaru, which forced the fox had to lend Naruto more power than normal to survive.

To which Itachi nearly strangled him over whilst screaming "Why the fuck didn't you run away?" at him for over an hour.

Could you really blame Naruto though? Training tirelessly for two months straight, and you have an opportunity to see how far you grow, against a _sannin_! Why exactly would Naruto want to run and hide for Itachi to save him when he could very well at least try to fight himself?

Aside from the fact that Orochimaru very easily could've snapped his neck. Or ruptured his spine. Or _break _his spine.

Or just flat-out kill him.

Itachi explained to Naruto the pitfalls of relying in the kyuubi's power like that, such as when he did so summoning the army of clones.

_"The Bijuu are chakra monsters Naruto-kun. They are like an endless supply of chakra, but you," Itachi poked Naruto in the forehead. "are not. You have to know your limits, and instead of trying to kill yourself to break through them, work on it slowly! You can summon hundreds of clones at a time, but five thousand? Even a bijuu would be winded for trying that. Build your control up before you do something that reckless."_

_Naruto frowned at that. "But I still managed to pull it off."_

_"You managed to do it while depleting the entirety of your reserves, which would have killed anyone else if they did it." Itachi glared half-heartedly at Naruto to get his point across. "Anyone."_

_Naruto took the time to let the words digest, and for Itachi to finish. _

_"And to make matters worse, it was it wasn't enough and you used some of the fox's chakra, hence why you're still sore. If the fox wasn't inside you healing you almost at all times, you would be dead from Chakra depletion, or at the very least your chakra pathways would be ruptured permanently. The most you're ever going to summon is roughly a thousand, never use such an extreme again."_

_Naruto's jaw clenched, but he nodded stiffly. "...Hai Itachi-sensei. I'll remember that."_

Now, Naruto was not happy with anyone setting a limit on him, but he understood that the possibility of death was the alternative. He decided to listen to Itachi on his bit of advice and not rely so much on his clones in combat.

As for where they were at the moment, Itachi and Naruto were less than a mile outside the village of Konohakure, and were saying their farewells. It was kind of weird for Naruto, two months ago the only thing Naruto thought about Itachi was that the man was batshit insane, as well as insanely powerful. Now though, Naruto knew that he was a peaceful, kind, and awesome shinobi, that just did extremely bad things.

He should have hated Itachi, or maybe respected him for his power. Hell, he should've feared him, he was supposed to be a cold-blooded murderer after all.

But instead Naruto looked up to him.

Itachi was the first true jonin level ninja that taught him, as Kakashi was never given the chance to do it. Under Itachi's eye, Naruto learned a lot, more than enough to prove that Naruto was not the dead last he was in the academy. With all this, Naruto was half tempted to ask if he could stay with him longer.

But he couldn't. It wasn't because he was scared, not because he was nervous, but because being so close to home yet kept away from it made him grow homesick. Being within running distance of his friends, yet kept away to grow stronger just sounded painful, and after two months of it, he wasn't entirely sure he would be doing it again.

Sure, he disliked the villagers, but he was hoping that some time away from them lessened their hate for him. After all, time was supposed to heal all wounds.

One would hope.

"I guess this is goodbye, huh sensei?" Naruto asked.

Itachi gave a ghost of a smile. Over the last few months, he had grown to like him per say, he was eager to learn anything Itachi wanted to teach him. That mindset was going to take him far in life if he kept it. "I believe so Naruto."

Naruto grinned, putting his hands behind his head and chuckling merrily. "You better be watching the Chunin exams Itachi-sensei. Because I'm going to win the whole thing! I guarantee it!"

Itachi's smile broadened. "A lofty goal for someone who isn't even back home yet."

Naruto's hands fell down to the side as he started jumping up and down in anticipation and excitement. "You watch Sensei. I promise, that I'll beat anyone they put in my way, and Team Seven will be the last team standing!"

Itachi shook his head, not in a condescending manner, but in one of humor. He ruffled Naruto's hair before he said "Stay safe, Naruto-kun." Itachi turned on his heel, and began down the road away from Konoha.

"You too, Itachi-sensei." Naruto called back, before leaping through the trees and sprinting to his home. He ran like a whirlwind, the forestry and grassland passing him like blurs as he jumped from branch to branch on the thick trees of the :and of Fire

The birds songs came and went, and before long he had arrived at the village hidden in the leaves, and once he did, he immediately went to the registration booth to signed himself in at the registration booth.

The two gate guards were not the usual pair, This time being two unimportant chunin that seemed to hate Naruto with every fiber their being.

Upon signing his ninja number and his name, he handed it to the guard, who inspecting it. The guard sighed in annoyance. "Nice try kid, shoulda done that prank a few months ago."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Honestly, who would be that big of a dick to pretend they were him while he was thought to be dead? "It's not a prank, how else would I know my ninja number?"

At the familiar sound of Naruto's voice, the guard looked up lazily. He was expecting it to be some horrid disguise, but to his surprise it he was staring right into the face of the thirteen year old though he did have that horrid scar running horizontally under his eye like a fourth whisker.

"How... you're alive?" The guard sounded more than a little disappointed, but he at least had the decency to try to hide it. He was a shinobi of Konoha, and though he disliked Naruto, having him back would be a deterrent against other nations.

Naruto bit back a sarcastic response, and just nodded. "Yeah... alive and in one piece." As he spoke, he beat his chest. "Ain't nothing killing me before I become Hokage."

His first instinct was the false act of overconfidence, a familiar mask that Naruto could slip on with ease. And though outside he kept the natural façade of confidence, inside his gut was churning.

Naruto should have expected such a welcome, he wasn't well liked before he left, and it wasn't like anything had changed since then. He should've known nothing would change.

The guard sighed as he wrote some things down, practically radiating disappointment. He sent Naruto on his way, not bothering to watch him leave.

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked off, clenching his fists inside his pockets. Of course the first place he was going was the Hokage tower to report to the Hokage, protocol for a shinobi that's been missing for a few months.

And the further he walked, the more he remembered how much the people hated him. He felt all the terrified stares, he heard the disgusted whispered, and he felt the insults.

"fox brat."

"Demon punk."

"Murderer."

"Bastard."

He frowned sourly, not knowing who was saying what. He did his best to ignore it as he continued to walk, the thought coming only once before he shoved it to the back of his mind. 'Maybe I shouldn't have came back.'

After all, this was almost ridiculous. People he didn't even know were glaring at him, stores were actually closing up as he past, even the parents were pulling their kids closer to them protectively.

"...Damn, thought that punk was killed or something..." A woman's voice said to Naruto's left. He grimaced slightly, while to his right he heard an old man mumble "...I hope the scar hurt, Demon brat..."

Naruto clenched his fist inside his pockets and took a deep breath, but he kept walking as he always did. 'I definitely didn't miss this.' he thought grimly.

Normally, he would shrug it off. He didn't care what they thought of him, he never has. But now... he wasn't used to this. He was used to being able to go somewhere without someone cursing his very existence.

Now he knew that outside of Konoha's giant walls, it was different.

The people were nicer, never insulting him unless he did something stupid such as stubbing his toe on the corner, and they just muttered under their breath 'Dumbass.' or something along those lines. Stores didn't jack the prices up as soon as he walked through the door, letting him pay what everyone had to. Or as of more currently, close up shop at the mere sight of him.

Parents didn't keep their children away from him out of spite and fear. The stranger danger rule still applied, but they didn't physically keep their kids away from him.

What made it sting more, was that for so long this place, for all of its faults, it was his home.

Now, He knew the peace he could find, he knew the happiness he felt outside. Out there in the rest of the world, he was a nobody. No one knew him for something that wasn't his fault, and no one even cared about him enough to hate him.

He was normal out there. And he liked the feeling. It was certainly better than Konoha, a cesspool of hate reserved just for him. One where people did everything they could to bring him down, force him down to the point of contemplating suicide as a means to an end. They couldn't actually touch him, he didn't know because they were afraid or if they were smart enough to know that, but they still tried everything they could to make his life worse than hell.

And thinking on all of this, it made him reconsider coming back.

* * *

Team ten was at their usual meeting place in the mornings, the barbeque place down the street from Ichiraku Ramen. Choji and Asuma had claimed the outside seats, which trapped Shikamaru and Ino on the inside of the booth.

Currently, Choji was piling on as much bacon as he could onto the grill to the angst of Asuma, who was looking out for both his student's and his wallet's health. Shikamaru was snoozing with his head laid down on the table, snoring softly.

Ino was lost in thought, looking out the window. It became sort of a habit of hers, to lose herself in her thoughts.

But that didn't make her unobservant. She watched the hundreds of people walking by the window, though something managed to catch her eye.

Orange. It was like a beacon to say 'Hey, look at me!' compared to the more natural colors that the villagers wore, but it actually seemed to be more of a desperate grab for attention than any of the other bright colors.

Coincidence? I think not.

"I told you guys he wasn't dead." Ino stood up abruptly, an angry look on her face. "Move Choji, I need to go kick that baka's ass!"

She knocked down a glass, a noise which made the Nara heir across from her jump. "Wait what's going on? Why's Ino breaking things?"

Choji was scooting out of her way, though it was taking longer than it should have because he was making sure the bacon remained perfectly in tact.

Shikamaru groaned and mumbled sleepily "What's got her panties in a bunch?"

"I don't know, Ino just said something about kicking someone's ass."

"Damn right!" Ino stomped towards the front door of the store. "Oh god did Sakura do something to Sasuke?" Shikamaru groaned again, lifting up his head and beginning to slip out of the booth. Asuma letting him slip by a lot quicker than Choji to chase after her with the Akimichi.

"How should I know?" Choji retorted, waving goodbye to Asuma. "I'll be back for that bacon!"

Shikamaru saw someone wearing bright orange, and said "Who the hell would wear that bright ass orange... oh..."

Ino got to him first, but Shikamaru was the one who spoke first. "Naruto, run!"

Before Ino could hit him, Naruto turned around to look at the Nara that shouted, and she stopped right in her track. The scar on his face was not something any of them expected to see on his face.

Team ten couldn't help themselves and stared at his eye, though they looked away after a few seconds. It was the first time any of them had seen a battle wound on someone their age.

"Damn man..." Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

"I call it the fourth whisker. Brings out my eyes, no?" Naruto joked lamely, giving a small smile to ease the sudden tension. He wasn't going to ask why they were yelling at him to run, and instead continued on to greet team ten. "Hey Choji, hey Shika, Hey Ino. How's it going?"

Before either Choji or Shikamaru could speak, Ino remembered she was about to beat Naruto half to death. "You baka, where the hell have you been for two months! People thought you _died _and you come home and act like nothing happened!"

"Uh..." Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly. He wasn't expecting to leave such a mark on much of anything around in Konoha. "I was trying to find out about my family... since no one knew anything around here, I figured I could ask around elsewhere before I made it back home... I didn't think people would care that I was gone, sorry."

Ino was taken aback by that response, as was the rest of Team ten. It was hard for them to remember that Naruto never had anyone that cared about him, growing up in families full of cousins and uncles and the whole works.

Naruto however, was inwardly fist pumping at his quick thinking. It wasn't a lie, he did ask Itachi a lot about his parents, it just wasn't the only thing he was doing.

"I was also training though," he added quickly. "I met new people and learned new techniques. Who knows, maybe if my team works on working together, two of us'll pass the chunnin exam next months!"

"Two? Sasuke and Sakura?" Shikamaru asked sarcastically.

"Sasuke and me." Naruto deadpanned. "No offense to Sakura, but she was utterly useless on the bridge. She did nothing but stare at Sasuke's ass while we were on that bridge, even when the guy was out cold and I had to fight a hundred people. She's smart, but this isn't a math test." Naruto explained, ignoring the wide eyed people in front of him. "Don't get me wrong, she's still pretty and all, but still..."

Ino stared at him, trying to see if that really was the blond boy. He acted much more mature than before he left, it was surprising. Adding onto the fact, he worshipped the very ground Sakura walked on, now here he was, practically insulting her, even though he complimented her after.

"Really Naruto?" The Akimichi clan heir shook his head. "For a second, I thought you moved on. Such a shame."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, and said "So, still got the hots for her huh?"

Naruto fidgeted awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Wording it like that is a little... off? I mean, I like her, but not like I used to."

"So, then who do you got the hots for then?" Shikamaru asked with a sly smile.

Naruto's uncomfortable shuffle didn't go unnoticed. "Uh-"

Shikamaru nudged Naruto jokingly, while Choji added "Come on Naruto, tell us!"

To Ino, it was a little funny watching Naruto squirm like this, the boy usually radiated confidence. Plus, she was curious about it too.

Naruto gave a nervous chuckle and tried sidestepping the question."For two guy who seriously don't care about almost a single thing, you're both awfully curious about my life at the moment."

"You just came back from the dead, of course I'm curious." Shikamaru snorted, getting a nod of agreement from choji. "And stop trying to avoid the question, it isn't like you to be unconfident."

"I'm hungry, doesn't mean I'm heading straight for Ichiraku's." Naruto replied, not heeding the statement and avoiding the question. Upon seeing the Shikamaru look at him like he was a bald-faced liar, Naruto sighed and said "Okay, I might have been heading there this time..."

Shikamaru looked satisfied at that, so Naruto continued. "Anyway, The first thing I want to do is go talk to the Hokage, then get back with my team and get to work. I want to be ready for the chunnin exams in two months, like all of you guys want to be." Naruto said, coming up with a better distraction from the question.

"You... think you're ready for it?" Shikamaru's voice was serious now. "You think _we _are ready for it?"

As it was already said, Naruto had never had an issue with confidence, but even he knew that he was behind everyone else from their class five months ago, and even told the Nara heir that he was a little scared he'd never make it up the ranks as quick as they would.

Naruto smiled, and said simply. "All of us should be. I don't think you all realized this, but we are the most prominent generation in almost all of Konoha's history. We have six clan heirs all from one class that graduated and made it to Gennin, two entire teams are stocked full of them, and the dead last has some of the darkest demons and horrid powers stuck inside of him. Every one of us will pass that test, either this time or the next one in six months. I guarantee it."

Ino didn't know what he meant by darkest demons and most horrid power, but from his tone it was obvious that the boy did not want to talk about it.

Still, her teammates weren't as good at reading tones of voices. "What do you mean by darkest demons and horrid powers?" Choji asked with a little bit of worry on his face for his friend.

'Did I actually say that out loud?' Naruto asked himself, before he smacked his forehead. "...Forget I said that, it's not important right now." he muttered, his voice getting quiet.

Ino saw the flickering look of unbridled sadness on Naruto's face before the smile returned to his face, something that escaped the notice of her team.

And while the smile would've fooled most people, it didn't fool the daughter of one of Konoha's best interrogators. From a young age, Ino learned how to read body and facial expressions, and the look of shattered glass still remained in his eyes.

Naruto gave a thumbs up and a forced laugh. "I'll see you guys later."

With that, Naruto let his arm fall to his side and turned on his heels, and leapt into the air, landing on the rooftops, before sprinting at a speed that they could barely see.

"Dang, he's gotten fast." Choji sputtered. "I thought he was kidding about the training part!"

"Guess he wasn't..." Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Look at him, he's like a streak jumping from roof to roof."

Ino felt her breath hitch, and she was unable to look away. 'An Orange Streak.' She amended Shikamaru's analogy in her head. 'He was an Orange Streak.'

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata was sitting against a tree of the park, Team eight's usual morning place. Since the day Naruto was announced missing, not only had she had grown colder and more stoic, she began wearing her forehead protector on her head instead of around her neck.

Her team didn't know what was going on with her, though they assumed it had something to do with Naruto, but in reality, it was more of a family matter.

Presently, he was seated next to a stoic Aburame Shino. They were listening to Kiba talk about when Akamaru actually managed to catch his tail, when a distinct orange dart zipped towards the Hokage Tower going from roof-to-roof.

Kiba stopped his story as he looked up, seeing just how fast the boy was, yet not being able to recognizing him from so far away. "Hey Kurenai-sensei, who the heck is that guy?" He asked, gawking in the general direction he watched the boy run.

The genjutsu mistress of Konoha squinted, but came up empty. She could literally feel a slight pulse in the air, like a beacon of chakra coming from his direction. "I don't know." she shrugged, seeing Hinata had activated her Byakugan to get a better look. "Hinata, can you see who it is?"

"It's Naruto." She said after a moment. Her face was blank, almost as stoic as Shino Aburame's personality. "It would seem that he's not as dead as they claim, sensei."

While Akamaru barked from atop the Inuzuka's head, Kiba blinked twice before he squinted at the fading dot that was apparently Uzumaki Naruto. "So, Mr. Deadlast survived, huh?" he grinned and boastfully said. "He must've been trying to get stronger or something so he wasn't so weak, but he's still behind me."

In an odd twist, it was Shino that spoke up, something out of character for him. "Kiba-san, did you not see how fast Naruto was running?" He said, mostly because he was getting annoyed by the constant sound of Kiba's voice. "He was moving at a pace faster than anything you've ever done, and he wasn't breaking a sweat."

"So?" The Inuzuka heir questioned. "I'd crush him if we fought, like everyone else would!" Kiba exclaimed, Akamaru yipping his agreement.

"But how would you catch him?" Kurenai asked lightly, wondering how he would react to facing an opponent faster than himself. It seemed like Naruto wasn't even trying to run that fast, yet he was moving at a pace that made Kiba sprinting at top speed seem crippled.

Kiba blinked, but found that he couldn't answer. He clenched his fist and looked over at Hinata, who was still staring off in the direction Naruto was running, a small feeling of jealousy gnawing at the back of his mind.

'Damn you, Naruto.' Kiba thought angrily, seeing the dot disappear off the rooftops near the Hokage tower. 'Why couldn't you just stay away? You're not better than me, I'll prove it!'

* * *

Naruto was still berating himself for his previous screw up around team ten. Of all the S-ranked secrets that he could talk about, he goes with the one that he absolutely doesn't want to talk about.

Typical.

He didn't want to say anything about the fox or any of the power that wasn't truly his, simple as that.

Naruto wasn't far from the Hokage tower when he heard the voice in his head speak up again.

**"Coward. Afraid to tell your own friends what you are...who you are."**

'Shut up.' Naruto snapped mentally, thinking he was going crazy. 'I don't know who you are, but you need to shut up if your going to live in my head.'

**"Kit, if I could get out of your body, I already would have." **The voice sighed before it grumbled. **"But as much as I hate to admit, your bastard of a father sealed me in here pretty well."**

Naruto kept the surprise off his face to keep other people from staring at him funny before responding. 'You're the Kyuubi? Your almost... I don't know, civil?'

The Kyuubi let out a laugh and said in a nasty tone **"Hardly, I've just gotten bored in this damned prison. And your life is such a hell because of me, I find it humorous."**

Naruto bristled as he slowed down, coming closer to the Hokage tower. 'I also find that the strongest Bjuu of the nine got his ass kicked by the fourth hokage, and is now his son's slave pretty damn funny, doesn't mean I'll laugh at you.' He spat as a reply.

The Kyuubi let out a menacing growl, and said **"Probably because I will rip you to shreds the moment you fall asleep."**

'Yeah right, you'd kill yourself too, you dumb fur ball.' Naruto shot back challengingly.

The fox gave a dark smile behind his cage. **"Just wait until you go to sleep tonight boy. I'll love talking to you face to face."**

Naruto's blood went cold at that, the chilling tone of voice nearly making Naruto freeze up. He did not like the sound of that, not one bit. While he was confident that the demon couldn't kill him without killing himself, doesn't mean he can't beat the snot out of Naruto for fun.

But still, Naruto still wasn't one to act scared, even when he actually was. 'Bring it Fox, I'm not scared of you.'

He heard the fox snort, and he almost face faulted hearing the fox speak. **"Kit I live inside you. I can say with absolute conviction that you are about to piss your pants. Just remember this though, I can see straight through your façade. I know every little thing about you, every dream, every fear. I witnessed everything you've ever witnessed, heard everything that you've heard. For Kami's sake, every time you stared at Sakura's ass, I had to stare at her ass."**

Naruto had the decency to blush at that. 'In my defense, Sakura has a nice ass.'

The kyuubi ignored him, speaking in a haughty tone **"I know that you will fail and you will beg me for me to give you some of my power. Again."**

Now Naruto flinched. He remembered the power he relied on during Wave, remembering the horrid feeling he had from it. 'We'll see, fox. We'll see.'

He stopped at the entrance of the Hokage tower, and looked up at the hokage mountain behind it, mainly the Fourth Hokage's face. Naruto felt the stone eyes look down at him, judging him. He didn't know if he loved or hated the man now that he thought about it. Sure, he was his dad and he did bring him into this world, but he's the one that trapped the fox inside him. He's the one that cursed his very existence for the sake of the village.

He sacrificed his kin for this village. He sacrificed _Naruto _for this village.

But still, he wanted to be what the fourth was. He wanted the respect, the prestige. Then no one would be able to ignore him ever again.

'Someday, I will become Hokage, and I will make you and mom proud of what I accomplished. I'll become the greatest shinobi this village has ever seen, surpassing everyone... even you.' He pledged, meeting the stony eyes unflinching. 'Just watch...'

He looked away, walking straight into the Hokage's tower and ignoring the secretary yelling at him he had to have an appointment.

He stopped in front of the Hokage's office, finding the door shut. He knocked once, hearing the familiar but muffled voice of the Third Hokage.

"I'm busy, come back later!"

"To busy to talk to your future successor? Even when he's been missing for two months?" Naruto answered with a bit of sarcasm.

The door flung open, and Naruto saw the third Hokage going through a large stack of papers with a raised eyebrow towards the door, but he firstly saw a silver-haired Jonnin that wore a mask over the bottom of his face.

"Hey sensei." Naruto smiled. "How's the road of life been treating you?"

Kakashi was about to retort, when he saw Naruto's eye. '...I almost cost you that...'

He didn't say that out loud, he was decent enough to have a different line of conversation than that. "You've grown Naruto...your still short, but not mockingly so." Kakashi said.

"Gee, thanks." Naruto answered, a little miffed at the reminder that he was still the shortest in his class. "Here I was, all proud of myself for eating my fruits and veggies to grow big and strong, and I still get bullied. Thanks sensei."

The third Hokage removed his pipe from his mouth, blowing smoke into the air. He knew that Naruto was still alive, Itachi having informed him within the week Naruto went missing. "Well Kakashi, It would seem that the council can finally rest their case for a new member for your team."

Naruto sweatdropped, his eye twitching. "They actually tried to replace me?" he asked, not surprised just annoyed.

Kakashi nodded. "They did, but I told them all I wouldn't accept another student, so then they pushed to remove me as Sasuke's sensei, and when Sasuke heard about the entire situation from me, he asked when the next meeting was and told them all that if they tried to do anything to screw his team or his sensei, he would burn their houses to the ground."

"Did I hear that correctly? Sasuke _wanted _to keep the spot open?" Naruto asked incredulously.

Kakashi gave an eyesmile at his blond student. "Sasuke felt guilty, because even though he risked his life to save you, and originally succeeded, he failed to stop you from falling to your presumed demise on the bridge. You were the closest person Sasuke had to a friend, and he never admitted it, but... he missed you." he explained. "That, and I think he didn't believe you were dead."

Naruto remembered his other teammate, and asked about her well being. "Well, what about Sakura? What has she done in the last two months?"

"Medical Ninjutsu, since I don't have much to teach her. So far, I've been kept in the dark on her progress." Kakashi sighed, not liking being kept out of the loop with his own team. "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure she's improved a lot since the bridge, but until I see what she can do, I can only hope that you've improved, because otherwise Sasuke'll have to wait until at least another six months before he can try the exams."

"Yeah, about that..." Naruto cleared his throat. "Jii-san, you got a privacy seal on the door or something? Because what I'm about to say might not be for other people... or my classmates to hear."

Hiruzen looked perplexed for a moment, but he had Kakashi close the door and seal the room for privacy.

Naruto took a deep breath before he spoke. "I found out who both my parents are. I know who I am."

* * *

Uchiha Itachi was at the border to the Land of Rivers, resting off the side of the road and staring up to the side of the road.

'The Akatsuki still pose a serious problem.' he sighed and laid on his back, his hands resting behind his head. 'I can't kill them all, almost all of them are nearly as strong or stronger than me, and some like Hidan are neigh impossible to kill. And now I not only have to deal with them, but protect Naruto as well as Sasuke from Orochimaru and his new village.'

Itachi didn't have any idea what Orochimaru's end game was right now. He could've killed Naruto, nothing would've stopped him. He could've also placed the curse mark on him for either the fox or for Naruto's eyes, but he didn't.

He let Naruto go and left without a trace.

And according to Kisame, it was strictly business between them and Naruto, Itachi was only in the way... but what did any of that accomplish for either of them? If they wanted to see what Naruto could do, why not wait until the chunin exams, when he has to openly display it for advancement.

'Maybe they were being impatient... or maybe it wasn't a planned encounter.' Scratch that first one, Itachi had been with them for years. Whoever was leading the organization was by far the most patient man Itachi had come across, or at the very least one of the most calculated. But the second was a possibility.

'You help us, we help you.' Kisame told him that was the relationship with Orochimaru the Akatsuki had. And Orochimaru, while a calculative man, was not very patient. When he wanted something, he made great haste to try and take it.

Did that mean Orochimaru wanted to take Naruto's body for his own?

'...No. It can't.' Itachi decided. 'The sharingan would make him interested, but the fox would prevent him from taking Naruto's body, so it has to be something else.'

The only question was, what the hell else could it have been that Orochimaru wanted?

Itachi's eyes flickered behind him, hearing the bushes behind him rustle. "So, you finally showed up Jiraiya?"

The toad sage walked past Itachi and leaned against a nearby tree, a scowl on his face. "So, Itachi, can you elaborate what your cryptic message said for me? The one about tying up loose ends and making peace with yourself."

"I am going to take out the Akatsuki." Itachi said bluntly. "And since I will be dead by the end of the week, you are the one that will likely be training Naruto. Sasuke will be fine on his own, with clan scrolls and Kakashi being sufficient teachers."

"I can help you fight the Akatsuki." Jiraiya said, his tone serious.

"No. If anyone is going to die for me, it will just be me." Itachi said, sitting up. "I need you to understand something, we don't know about Naruto's sharingan. Whether it has a mangekyō or a form similar is unknown. I don't understand why his eyes are so much different than the rest, even his mother possessed normal sharingan eyes."

"Maybe it's the effect of mixing the Namikaze and the Uchiha lines." Jiraiya replied.

"That's what I thought." Itachi rubbed his eyes tiredly. "But he refuses to use them."

"That... might not be the best idea." Jiraiya muttered. "Did you try to force him to?"

"I did. And instead, it brought out the nine tails." Itachi answered. "The seal is weakening faster than we thought. By the time he's eighteen, it might have faded away completely and all that will hold the Kyuubi back is Naruto's will."

"What's it like? Is his transformation anything like Kushina's?" Jiraiya asked.

"No, it was more like Uzumaki Mito's." Itachi said, getting up to his feet. "His blood may be of the Uchiha and Namikaze descent, but his reserves..."

"Aren't." Jiraiya nodded. "It's complicated and even I don't know the full details."

"Just... train him well. Don't let my clan die out... not the way it is now." Itachi said, his gaze going to the sky.

"I am the best teacher Konoha has produced, remember? I taught the Yondaime." Jiraiya joked. He didn't really get that, he managed to teach the fourth hokage, but still the third was a better teacher in his opinion. He made three people that became elite, whereas Jiraiya only had Minato to show.

"Naruto will be better than the Yondaime." Itachi said seriously. "A hard worker beats a genius every time, and there is not a soul on this earth that will work harder than Naruto. Ever."

It was high praise from Itachi. To say such a thing for a thirteen year old, it was almost as if he was saying that Naruto would bring peace to the world and become the hero of the planet, since the fourth was the closest anyone ever came to claiming it.

Itachi cleared his throat and said "You were successful in infiltrating Otogakure?"

"A couple weeks ago. There's a lot's of swordsmen, and lots of curse marks." Jiraiya said, not commenting on the change of topic to more business like. "However, it's not exactly a bad place. The kids with curse marks are well fed, clothed, and everyone has a roof over their head. People like it there, and it's almost like Orochimaru is trying to help his people there instead of just himself."

"You managed to get in and out of Otogakure unseen a month ago and have been peeping for a month straight-"

"It's called research!" Jiraiya shouted indigently. However, he didn't deny it.

"...Since you've been doing _research" _Itachi put up finger quotations on the word. "for the last month, I think that it is high time that you go to Konoha and pick up where I left off with Naruto."

"Kakashi's handling him though." Jiraiya said with a frown. He couldn't just up and take Hatake's student from him again, that would be screwed up. "Besides, I am supposed to begin in December with him anyway, between the second and third stage of the exams."

Jiraiya spoke as if he already knew Naruto was going to make it to that point, which did not surprise Itachi. After all, the Uchiha expected him to make it all the way to the finals as well.

"I am worried about Orochimaru." Itachi admitted. "No matter how busy he seems to be with his village, he made time to come and attack Naruto. He could've killed him at any point in their encounter, yet Orochimaru chose to play around with him, and even went as far as letting Naruto dictate the terms of the battle. He's planning something."

"Of course he's planning something." Jiraiya snorted. "I've been keeping watch of Oto though, and I'll tell you something. He isn't working alone."

Itachi raised an eyebrow at that. Orochimaru always seemed to be more of a solitary man, even while on team missions. Who would he possibly work with, and what would he possibly gain?

"Someone _else _is working with him?" Itachi asked the most obvious question though, it was the first to come to mind. "The Akatsuki aren't enough?"

"Someone powerful." Jiraiya nodded gravely. "As if we had enough to worry about, huh?"

Itachi shook his head and muttered "Not to mention Suna's aggression seeming to rise."

"Yep."

"So essentially," Itachi pondered how to word the next statement elegantly. "It's a giant clusterfuck and we're trapped right in the middle."

Well, he tried.

"Otoakure is straight to the north, to the left of Kumo. Rain is the border between Suna, Iwa, and us, with Suna is directly to our left and Iwa above it. Oh, and then Kiri is over on their islands having a civil war." Jiraiya relented a sigh. It was ridiculous how quickly the tensions were rising. "Even Kumo and Iwa are having their differences, I wouldn't be surprised if a war was brewing between those two... on top of your condition. How much longer are you expected to hold up?"

Itachi gave a worn smile. "I was supposed to drop dead last year."

That was why he was never willing to take the mantle of clan heir, even while the clan was still around. He was supposed to die by the time he was 17, the longest he could hope for was 25 years old.

Not a long life, but hopefully a fulfilling one.

"Yeah..." Jiraiya gave a sad smile. "life sucks doesn't it?"

* * *

It took almost two hours, but Naruto explained everything to both his sensei and his leader. In that time, he managed to find himself seated in a chair, along with the silver haired jonin that was also present.

Kakashi was surprised when he found out that Naruto was apart of the Uchiha clan. Even more surprising though, was finding out his student not only the son of his own teacher, but was the nephew of his old teammate as well. Then on top of this, he discovered Itachi was the one who was teaching Naruto and almost had a had a heart attack.

"You were trained by _him_? He interrupted, standing up. "Are you serious? That man murdered his entire family, why didn't you run away!"

Naruto rubbed his neck, not meeting Kakashi's eyes. "I wanted to get stronger." He said truthfully. "I wanted to know who I was, and he seemed to be the only person that knew that. Besides, he isn't a bad person... he's just done a lot of bad things."

Kakashi almost whacked Naruto for that, because that was utterly asinine. "Naruto, he killed his entire clan except for Sasuke-"

"And apparently me." Naruto interjected helpfully.

"-In a singular fashion without hesitation. He's a bad person, and there's not a damn thing that will change that." Kakashi finished plainly, looking at Hiruzen for support.

Instead, he was given the exact opposite.

"Kakashi... what I am about to tell the two of you does not leave this room." The third began, packing tobacco into his pipe. "Uchiha Itachi... he has always been loyal to the Leaf Village. He was our informant inside the Akatsuki until he found Naruto, and on the night of the massacre... he was under orders."

You could have heard a pin drop. Naruto because while he knew Itachi was a good person at heart, he honestly didn't know what to make of him being ordered to kill his family. Being an orphan, Naruto couldn't even imagine the pain he went through going through with it either.

But he also didn't understand why Itachi was ordered to do it.

"I don't understand..." Naruto murmured.

Kakashi stared at the hokage and asked the sole question on his mind. "Was it Danzo?"

Hiruzen gave a sigh at Kakashi's question and closed his eyes. "No..." He said looking up at the ceiling, clenching his fist on the arm rest. "It wasn't just Danzo. "He was under my orders as well."

Kakashi's jaw dropped under his mask. What in the world would make Hiruzen Saratobi, the Third Hokage and one of the kindest men he had ever come across, order an entire family to be massacred by one of their own?

"The Uchiha clan," Hiruzen cleared his throat before continuing. "was plotting a coup d'état. Itachi was sent to stop it by any means necessary. However, in doing this, he became a missing nin."

Naruto clenched his teeth, seething "But he did it for the village! He gave everything for this place and that's how you treat him?"

"Naruto-kun, he murdered his entire family." Hiruzen explained. "Yes, it was for our village, but no one knew of the coup. Itachi was willing to take the punishment under the condition that no one aside from myself, the advisors, and Danzo know the truth. The fact that I've told you two is breaking that oath."

Naruto was left to ponder that. Itachi was a missing nin because he loved his village more than his family. He loved the village more than everyone aside from his little brother... and this is how the village treats him? He gave his own family to keep the village safe, and his payment was being forced to cut his bonds with it.

"So then why tell us in the first place?" Kakashi asked, speaking on the broken oath.

Hiruzen smiled softly. "You two had the right to know, being a student under him for a period of time and you taking over the reigns from Itachi. However, Itachi told me you battled Orochimaru a little over a week ago, Naruto." Now, he was eager to change the subject.

Naruto mellowed out at that. He would talk about his anger later, and he spoke on what the Hokage wanted to. "Oh, yeah. He kicked my ass."

"You got in a fight with Orochimaru?" Kakashi gave a deadpan stare to Naruto and asked "How many kicks to the head have you suffered in your life Naruto?"

"Itachi informed me that you faired relatively well for someone your age, actually landing multiple attacks." Hiruzen said with a proud smile.

Kakashi's eye went as wide as a saucer. "The sheer fact that you survived is impressive Naruto... but to say you actually landed a blow is prodigy level for your age."

"Yeah, but still... He wasn't trying, at all. Even at the end of it, he said he wasn't even going over a fifth!" Naruto grumbled. "Even when I unlocked my eyes, he didn't break a sweat!"

Hiruzen blinked as he played that last part in his head again. "...Naruto, you never said anything about unlocking your eyes." He said slowly.

"Oh...uh..." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, before muttering "oops."

"Could you show us?" Kakashi asked, albeit sounding a little more excited than normal. It wasn't often to see those eyes anymore, aside from himself and Sasuke.

Naruto felt uncomfortable on this subject, mostly due to fear that they would see him as a freak. "...I'd rather not, if I could." Naruto muttered. "There not exactly something I can use anyway, being in a village that would think I was playing a sick joke and all, and being a walking reminder of the Fox..." Naruto cleared his throat. "I'd just rather never use them."

"...It's alright Naruto. I understand, but do know this." Kakashi looked serious as he continued. "You can't keep a secret like that from people forever. Eventually, we're all going to see them, and we will all know who you are."

Naruto scratched the back of his neck and said jokingly"I know. Hopefully, my fourth whisker can distract people from my eyes long enough so that I don't have to use my eyes."

Kakashi smirked, and said "Maybe so Naruto, maybe so."

"Kakashi," Hiruzen finally finished his stack of papers and could now fully re-enter the conversation. "We still need to see what he can do, and how much his absence has affected his ability to work with his team. So, I want you to test him later this evening one on one, and tomorrow, I want you to give his team the bell test once more."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi answered, before returning to look at Naruto. "Training ground seven at three o'clock alright with you, Naruto?"

"Sure thing, sensei!" Naruto agreed, standing up. "I can't wait to kick you butt!"

"A little overconfident, aren't we?" Kakashi asked, raising a brow.

"Nope!" Naruto beamed a smile, before saying "Well, I do have other people to go see, and I don't want to keep you guys busy, so see ya!"

Naruto sprinted down the hall, intent on going to finish his reunions with the rest of his close friends.

* * *

Training ground nine was always full of activity. It was usually in the form of singular training or sparring, but none the less, the training ground was constantly full of activity.

Today was no different, with Team nine all actively training under Maito Gai's instruction. Tenten was throwing shuriken at a bullseye painted onto a tree, while her two teammates Lee and Neji engaged in a spar with Gai being the referee.

Tenten was a young woman who had a tomboyish demeanor, though she still retained many aspects of the average female. She was tough, and was one of the top Kunoichi of her year, hence why she was paired with the top student and the bottom student as is custom. She wears her brown hair in Chinese-style buns on either side of her head with short fringe-bangs falling over her forehead protector which she wears in the traditional manner. She wore a sleeveless pink blouse with red sleeve trimmings and yellow fastening buttons as well as dark green pants, a pouch adjusted to her thigh, and standard blue ninja sandals.

Rock Lee was an athletic and extremely enthusiastic boy of thirteen years old, the dead last of their generation. Of course, being the only team that managed to last in the shinobi world, no one aside from his teammate Neji would call him such any more. He looked almost like a replica of his sensei, having a bowl cut and extremely bushy eyebrows. He wore strikingly similar outfit as his sensei as well, consisting of a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and a red forehead protector worn as a belt. Beneath the leg warmers were extremely heavy weights, and bandages were applied over his hands, covering the cuts he was given from the rigorous training he was undertaking.

Hyūga Neji was extremely serious and mature for his age, and had great control of his emotions, unlike his counter part he was facing. Being a member of the elite Hyūga clan, he was born with the Byakugan, a Dōjutsu belonging solely to them. He was slightly cold and arrogant, and believed that fate was already predetermined. He wore a black forehead protector that was snugly over his forehead, while his hair was tied back in a pony tail at the end. He wore a khaki shirt, under which he wore a dull blue shirt with a mesh armor underneath it, dark brown shorts, blue shinobi sandals. He also had bandages wrapped around his right arm, chest, and right leg.

In all, they were a front line team in training. They were the only team that passed their graduation test however, making them the only team from their year.

None of them seemed to mind that.

Maito Gai was the jonin sensei of team ten, a job he was proud of having. He often heard himself described by others as 'unique' or 'eccentric' neither of which he disputed. He often spoke of the power of Youth, which nearly everyone in Konoha didn't even know what it meant. He is a tall and well-built man with high cheek-bones, thick eyebrows and black hair cut in a bowl style. He wears a green jumpsuit, orange striped leg warmers and the standard Konoha flak jacket though it's normally unzipped. His forehead protector is on a red cloth and is worn around his waist, like a belt.

"Begin!" Gai's voice rang out between the two genin.

"YOSH!" Upon Gai's order, Lee took off to begin the taijutsu only spar. He wasted no time for warming up before he started rapidly threw punches at Neji's face, though the former rookie of the year dodged every strike with complete ease.

'Tch... why doesn't Lee ever stop trying?' Neji thought with a stoic face, his head continuously moving side to side to avoid getting hit. After a minute of this, Neji grew bored and decided to start his own offense.

He grabbed Lee's extended wrist, not letting the other boy do anything before the Hyūga prodigy jabbed him in the ribs with the back of an open fist.

Relatively, it was a light blow, not intending to end the fight but to just leave a mark and sting a bit. However, Lee involuntarily hunched over in reaction, which let Neji land a strong and well placed kick right to his temple as a follow up.

Gai nearly cringed as he watched his favorite pupil's head snap backwards, but he knew Lee was tough enough to take it. He couldn't cover the proud smile on his face when Lee used the momentum to spin around and kick Neji in the chest, knocking the prodigy backwards.

But for all of Lee's improvement over the last year under Gai's teachings, Neji was still well above him in terms of skill. The margin was growing smaller by the day, but Neji was stronger regardless.

Neji flipped back up to his feet, a scowl on his face. His thoughts were fixated on the fight at hand, though he never lost his cool and forgot the rules of strict Taijutsu only. That might not have strictly prevented him from activating his eyes, but he was too prideful to even activate them against someone he thought was so far beneath him.

Neji braced himself as Lee charged forward again, aiming a fist towards his jaw. He blocked it, his scowl deepening on his face while he elbowed Lee in the cheek.

Lee's head was forcibly turned to the side, and he received a quick knee into the stomach.

The boy in green tried to fight back with a punch aimed for Neji's face, but Neji simply swatted the punch aside with his left arm and slugged Lee in the mouth with his right.

Lee fell onto his back, before he pushed himself upwards with his hands into the air and tried to kick Neji in the chest.

Instead, the Hyūga caught Lee's foot with both hands, and threw him over his head.

Lee landed in a thud on the ground, rolling across the grass before he managed to stop himself and land on his feet.

Gai merely closed his eyes, seeing that Lee was charging in yet again. The tactic simply wouldn't work on Neji and Lee refused to see it.

"You will always be weak Lee." Neji said coldly, punching Lee across the face and sending him sprawling across the ground. He expected the spar to be over, and let his guard fall.

As a result, Lee was able to get the drop on him, planting both feet directly into Neji's sternum.

The attack stunned him, knocking Neji backwards but not off of his feet. He narrowed his eyes before resuming his stance, watching Lee sprint at him just like all the times before.

However, this time instead of letting Lee try and fail to pummel him with a flurry of fists, Neji blocked the first punch before catching the second. Lee tried to pull his hand away, but Neji had the other boy's forearm in an iron clad grip to prevent him from moving. The Hyūga prodigy swept Lee's feet right out of under him, knocking him to the ground.

Before Lee could get up, Neji held his fist up to his face, ending the brief spar.

"As I said." Neji said coolly, holding his fist in place. "You will always be weak Lee. Nothing you can do will change that." The Hyūga lowered his fist and began to walk off, not noticing the disapproving look Gai was giving him, or the slight sneer Tenten had on her face.

Lee had yet to get to his feet, though he only suffered minor bruising.

"Lee... he doesn't mean it." Gai tried to encourage his student, but he failed to do so. While physically Lee was alright, Neji's words stung more than any punch he could have thrown. Lee was used to the putdowns and snide remarks by now, but that did nothing to make them hurt less after time and time again he tried to get the other boy to call him his equal, and each time ending in failure.

Lee got up to his feet slowly, an unusual dark look on his face as he acknowledged another defeat at Neji's hands. He wasn't going to stop though, he couldn't. His entire goal in life anymore wasn't to become the best, it wasn't to be considered an elite.

His goal was to force Neji to acknowledge that Lee was as skilled as him.

And he'd be damned if he didn't make that happened.

* * *

Neji had exited team Ten's training grounds, heading back to the Hyūga clan compound. Gai had no problems with him doing this, knowing Neji didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Despite being closest to Lee, Gai insisted on being there for all his students, seeing them almost like his own children. He would try to help them all through their problems, and he would understand their suffering.

Of course, out of the three, he also knew Neji was the one with the worst set of problems. It was why he said nothing to the prodigy whenever Neji acted like an overall ass towards his teammates like he had done not five minutes ago.

A great example of Neji's problems would be a few moments after arriving at the clan compound.

After mere seconds of entering the premises, a horrible burning sensation filled his very being. Neji let out a scream of agony, clutching his head and falling down to his knees. A few moments after the pain began, it subsided, amiss the laughter of a main house member.

The branch member lifted his head and glared at the laughing Hyūga, noting that he was a failing member of his year, and one of the dozens upon dozens of main house members that loved to torment the side branch.

The boy noticed Neji's heated glare, and mockingly asked "Who do you think you're glaring at, scum?"

Neji screamed again, the searing pain in his head returning again. Neji withered on the ground, screaming in pain.

Through his blurry vision, he saw the boy strutting towards him. "Aww... is wittle Neji gonna cry for daddy?" The boy taunted down at him, letting the seal deactivate before he kicked the downed prodigy in the stomach. "Wait... your daddy's dead! How could I forget?" He kicked Neji again, making Neji spit blood. "You're still no better than a slave, no matter how good you think you are!"

Neji lifted his head, blood trailing down the left side of his mouth. He wanted to do _something _to the smirking boy in front of him, but he couldn't. Not with the death warrant already placed on his forehead.

The kid's smirk fell. "Did I tell you to get up?" He snarled, slapping Neji in the mouth. "I should kill you for your disobedience."

"ENOUGH!" A voice roared behind them, and all activity around them ceased.

Neji lifted his eyes again, and nearly let out a curse. Because meeting his Byakugan eyes was the face of his uncle and current clan head of the Hyūga family, Hyūga Hiashi.

Hiashi looked down at his nephew for a moment, before he turned his head and glared icily at the main house member. His fists were clenched so tight that they wouldn't stop shaking. "If you value your life, you will leave at once. Should I ever come across your face again, I'll kill you myself. Do I make myself clear, _boy_?"

The boy nodded quickly, mumbling "Hai Hiashi-sama." before fleeing, out of Hiashi's sight in moments.

Hisashi's glare lingered for a few moments on the spot the kid disappeared, and turned and looked back at his nephew. Neji was looking up at him in contempt, blood still trailing down the side of his mouth.

Never the less, Hiashi still extended his hand to help Neji back to his feet. He wasn't surprised when Neji slapped his hand away and slowly got up to his feet on his own, walking back to his quarters and slamming the door shut.

Hiashi closed his eyes dejectedly. He knew his brother was rolling around in his grave at how his son was being treated, but in truth there was nothing he could do. His hands were tied, not just by the laws but by other matters concerning his own children.

'Pathetic.' Hiashi thought to himself in disgust, trudging back to the main house. 'I can't save my daughter, and I can't save my nephew... what kind of clan head am I?'

He didn't fail to hear the sound of breaking objects in Neji's quarters either.

* * *

Naruto stopped in front of a door to a familiar classroom. Class for the day was currently on break and would be for another hour, so he knew that he wasn't going to be interrupting anything. He knocked once before entering the familiar classroom.

A scarred Chunin was seated behind his desk grading tests when he heard the door click open, and he looked up to see his visitor. To his utter surprise, he was greeted by a boy that was considered dead by many in the village.

A grin slowly spread across his face, and the chunin asked "Naruto! Is that really you...?" his voice trailed off upon seeing the scar running across Naruto's face.

Naruto noticed that Iruka was looking at the mark under his eye. "Hey Iruka-sensei! Did ya miss me?" he asked with a grin, before pointing his thumb up at his eye. "What do you think of my fourth whisker?"

"...I don't know how to respond to it." Iruka answered. He knew what to think of it, he just didn't want to say it allowed. 'It looks like it was pretty painful to get it.'

He should know, he still had that scar on his face from Tora... damn crazy demon cat.

Naruto shrugged happily and said "Not many people do. How's things going with Konohamaru and the bunch?"

Iruka looked back down to his test, finding he was on Konohamaru of all people. Slightly ironic, and easy to grade. 'another 0 Konohamaru... seeing Naruto again better help him improve.'

Outwardly, he said "They haven't been trying as hard as they were before you left, Konohamaru especially. Your... presumed death took a toll on him." Iruka answered somberly to the blond gennin, before cracking a smile and saying "He missed his rival."

Naruto smiled lightly but waved him off, and said "I'll try to pay him a visit in a few days, I have to get reacquainted with my team over the next two days, starting with a spar against Kakashi-sensei this afternoon." Naruto said.

"Good luck with that Naruto, you'll need it."

Naruto took a look of mock offense, and said indigently "Are you kidding? I'm gonna kick Kakashi-sensei's ass!"

Iruka shook his head, not surprised by Naruto's proclamation. The kid always tried to act like he radiated confidence even when he had none.

"Anyhow, what has everyone else been up to in Konoha?" Naruto asked, wanting to hear from someone else about the works of the world.

"Sakura Haruno came by a couple months ago, wanting to get books on genjutsu and medical ninja skills. I pointed her in the direction of Kuranai, Team eight's sensei. Speaking of that trio, they won rookie team of the year last week." Iruka said, though that wasn't the only thought on his mind. 'Mostly thanks to Hinata... the girl turned cold when you left Naruto.'

"I heard about Sakura trying to become a medic, but the genjutsu thing is surprising..." Naruto said, before he grew a thoughtful look on his face. "It's almost... quaint, isn't it? We're almost an exact replica of the Sannin."

"What do you mean?" Iruka asked, adding in "And where did you learn the word quaint?"

Naruto chose to ignore the subtle jab Iruka jokingly shot at him and explained "The prodigy, never quite trying to be friendly with his team, but still letting them grow on him. The Medic, the one to heal any injuries that the other two sustain. And the jokester, the one who took things seriously too late. I think our team fills out that role almost perfectly now, doesn't it?"

Iruka blinked at the analogy, but found that at this point, the similarities between the two were numerous. "I guess so Naruto." he nodded, before smiling again. "Though I didn't know you paid attention to history class. You sort of failed every history test I ever gave you."

Naruto grinned cheekily and gave a thumbs up. "Meh, gotta know who I'm trying to outdo."

The blond boy looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. "Its late, and you look like your having loads of fun grading a stack of papers so I'm going to go head home, hopefully they haven't already rented it out or something. Later sensei!"

Naruto jogged out the door, before going into a full-fledged sprint down the hall. He failed to notice that his 'jogging' threw paper off of Iruka's desk.

"...You never cease to amaze, do you Naruto?"

* * *

Sasuke was taking a break from training, deciding to go on a walk through the village. He hadn't actually been out and about in the village in some time, except on horrible D-ranked missions and the like, so this was almost a breath of fresh air for him.

It would've been anyway, if people weren't giving him the usual stares. Some were of envy, others of pity, but all of respect he felt he didn't even deserve. He had done absolutely nothing worth mentioning to date, so the worship got old _really fast._

Mind you, he had grown accustomed to the respect people gave him. He grew up with it.

He didn't know where he was going, just letting his feet take him wherever they wanted to go. Whether it was the park or the memorial stone or even visiting his parent's graves, he usually went to a place where he thought he would be alone, and in a place that had his family history in it.

But not this day. No, on this day he cared nothing for his family history and found himself looking over Training ground seven. He could see the river flowing in the back, with the field of freshly cut grass near the front as well as the rest of the large forest of trees next to it. He saw the three old stumps that Kakashi used when all three members of team seven were rookies.

The only other time Naruto and he had a chance to fight side by side other than the newly named 'Naruto Bridge' in wave.

Thinking back on that horrible day, Sasuke always wondered just what power Naruto had used when he fought off those bandits. He wouldn't complain, Naruto managed to take out _a lot _of people, even more than he did with the help of Kakashi.

But the chakra felt like poison going into Sasuke's lungs, and he wasn't even near Naruto half of the fight.

Then of course, the feeling went away after Naruto fell off the bridge.

Sasuke stared at the middle stump, which was Naruto's. His fist clenched, to the point his knuckles turned white. 'Dumb dobe... what the hell were you thinking?' He thought sorrowfully.

He must've lost himself in his thoughts too, because when he finally looked away, the sun had lowered considerably, looking as if an hour had passed.

Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets, before walking away, intent on going home.

Problem is, he didn't get too far before running into his pinkette of a teammate.

'Don't see me, don't see me, don't see me... son of a-'

Sakura saw him and said excitedly "Oh, Sasuke-kun!"

"Hey Sakura." Sasuke greeted in a monotone voice. Over the last few months, the girl had grown a little on him, he'll admit, but she just annoyed him sometimes, never giving him alone time except when he was in the Uchiha compound. 'Man, this used to be Dobe's job. Keep her occupied while everyone else enjoyed the peace.' He thought sourly, his depressed mood still lingering in his mind.

Sakura kicked the dirt on the road. "So... how was your day?"

"It was... alright I guess." Sasuke answered after a moment of thought. "How was yours?"

Sakura shrugged and replied "It was boring as can be. Anyway, did you hear those rumors?"

'Here we go.' Sasuke wailed in his mind. Outwardly though, he asked "What rumors?"

"About Naruto!" Sakura's voice grew loud at that. "You didn't hear, people keep seeing a boy with deep blue eyes, blond hair, and whisker marks on his face running as fast as a blur around the village!"

"...Probably was a prank by some dick from last year's graduating class." Sasuke said, shrugging. "Wouldn't be the first time they did that... or the second."

Sakura waved that off and said "I know, but this time Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru talked to him! They're the ones that told me, even their sensei agreed with them!"

Sasuke was now a little curious about it, but didn't comment. Odds were they would see the blond tomorrow when they saw Kakashi. And that was if Naruto was actually back.

"Do you think he's improved that much?" Sakura asked him. "Maybe gotten a little faster and stronger, I understand that, but as fast as a blur? That's insane!"

"You saw how different it is outside our walls Sakura." Sasuke said, nodding over to the gate at the front of the village. "We were only out there for two weeks and we had Kakashi and each other watching our backs. And even without us, how well do you think Kakashi would've lasted in that Water prison jutsu?"

Sakura thought about that, and saw just how badly that could have ended for their sensei had the three of them not been there.

"Even if he had someone like Kakashi watching his back, everywhere you went you would be attacked, and you would have to grow stronger to survive. If he's as fast as a blur, it could be a good thing for us, if he isn't but is still much better than he was, that's another good thing, it doesn't matter. As long as he doesn't drag us down, we're going to be fine."

'And as long as dobe hasn't gotten _that _much better.' Sasuke added in his head.

* * *

Naruto saw the retreating forms of his teammates leaving the training ground, and felt multiple emotions. The first to hit him was happiness, but at nearly the same time, he felt his gut churning. They nearly got him killed on that bridge, or at least Sakura did.

The least she could've done was try to fight with him.

He shook his head at that thought and jumped down from the rooftops near the training ground into the field. He took a few steps before he sat atop the middle stump and awaited his sensei, thinking the man was going to be late like he usually was.

And late he was, but not annoyingly so. A mere ten minutes after the scheduled time, Kkakashi popped into existence in front of the Jinchuriki.

"I'd say you were late, but you usually suck at timing." Naruto said, idly. Naruto got up off the stump and continued speaking "I should consider you early, sensei."

"...What can I say, Naruto?" Kakashi shrugged. "I'm excited to see what Itachi taught you." However, what the hokage said after Naruto left repeated in his head.

_Flashback_

_Naruto sprinted down the hall, intent on going to finish his reunions with the rest of his close friends, leaving Kakashi and Hiruzen in the office._

_"...Well, as for our previous discussion, We'll save it for later." Hiruzen said, leaning back. "However, in the meantime, I want you to truly test Naruto today Kakashi. Don't be lazy, study every move he will use, see if he can still fit into your unit."_

_"I intend to Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded._

_"No Kakashi, I don't think you do." Hiruzen said, though not insulting the copy ninja. "I don't want to know what Naruto can do on his own strictly speaking. I want you to try to force Naruto to use his eyes."_

_Kakashi was silent, nodding slowly. He knew the hokage's reasoning, he shared the same view on it. But still, forcing someone to do something they didn't want to, no matter what it was, just seemed wrong._

_"He needs to use them. Locking away apart of yourself is not something he can do without suffering the side effects." Hiruzen told him anyway_

_"But Hokage-sama-"_

_"Kakashi," the Third Hokage looked at him. "I don't feel comfortable about this either, but this test is to see _exactly _what he can do. I need to know what his eyes can do, and how the differentiate from Sasuke's and your own. Who knows, maybe our Uchiha heir will accept Naruto, and the two will be an even better team than before."_

_"Or it will make Sasuke grow even more distant." Kakashi interjected mirthlessly. He was making slow progress with Sasuke, but considering how the boy was before the teams were sorted it was a drastic difference. "Besides, Naruto might rather suffer a beating than unveil them." Kakashi said. "You saw the way he hesitated. He's afraid to even show us, and we're the ones he should trust most! Imagine how terrified he must be to show someone like Sasuke, who might kill him thinking its a sick prank!"_

_"Kakashi, I'm sorry but this isn't up for debate." Hiruzen muttered. "This must be done. The world needs to know who he is, or at the very least I do. Try to force him to use them, and we'll go from there."_

_Kakashi grit his teeth but nodded. "Hai Hokage-sama... I'll see to it."_

_flashback over_

Kakashi gave a sigh before watching Naruto get up into a fighting stance. It was one similar to the Uchiha clan style, yet it also resembled the one Gai had taught and used on a regular basis. There was a third style that seemed to be mixed in, though Kakashi couldn't recall the name off the top of his head.

"Did Itachi teach you multiple styles Naruto?"

"Not entirely," Naruto grinned, seeing how easily Kakashi saw it. "He just mixed multiple styles to make mine impossible to copy or predict. Said that the most unpredictable ninja in the world needs to have the most unpredictable fighting style, you know?"

"Fair enough Naruto." Kakashi said, still in a relaxed position. "Hit me with your best shot."

* * *

"So... we need a new messenger system?"

Orochimaru was lounging in front of his desk, absent-mindedly twirling a shuriken on his right index finger. He was staring impassively at Kisame, who had a dull look on his face as if he was too lazy to hit Orochimaru for the overly obvious comment he just made.

"Out of everything I just said, that was all you got out of it?" Kisame asked with an annoyed glare.

Orochimaru's face broke into a smirk. "Well, it's the truth... but why didn't he just, I don't know, use my messenger hawk?"

Kisame shrugged, the thought never occurred to him. "I don't know, but I ain't complainin'. I got a free week of vacation out of this."

Orochimaru nodded, already aware of this. Kisame could actually prove useful for some of his academy students or current genin. "I am well aware that you are in my village for another week, Kisame. Well aware."

Kisame gave a toothy grin and said "You know, what you've been able to do with this place in mere months has been impressive as hell. You managed to train yourself competent shinobi, even sending a team to the chunin exams this year. But I do have a question."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in a 'go on' gesture.

"Where did you get all those people down there in your village?" Kisame asked, curious. It was well known what Orochimaru did to the people in Konohagakure, all the experiments that he performed. That and most of the people in the village were wearing the same pitch-black cloak.

Some of them were building, others were training in the newly built training grounds scattered around the village, and others were learning in the academy to become shinobi. In truth, the foundation of the village was strikingly similar to that of the great five, much more advanced than any of the other smaller nations aside from Ame. Only difference between Ame and Oto was how much more quickly everything came together, and how quickly everything was built.

Instead of nearly a decade for everything to come to fruition, Orochimaru pulled it off in mere months. Contracts were starting to come their way from Iwa and Kiri, especially from cheaper countries that couldn't afford Nations like Kumo or Konoha.

Still, there was much for Orochimaru to do. His quest was far from accomplished, barely even begun. Recently, his partner ran across a unique gene that Orochimaru was eager to test.

When Orochimaru didn't respond to his question, Kisame spoke up again."Where did they learn Kenjutsu? It's a form I've never seen before." The shark ninja heard the sound of clashing blades and started staring at the dozens of people running around and engaging in a sword fight. Their attacks were quick and precise strokes, actively keen on using their free limbs to assist them in combat instead of using their sword two handed like most people.

"It's a clan fighting style of theirs, no one else uses it because no one else has been taught it." Orochimaru explained, still trying to think of an answer for Kisame.

"They're good." Kisame nodded in appreciation. He could respect a fellow swordsman.

Orochimaru nodded dryly. "They're average at best among their clan members, they won't make it past genin." The snake sannin said blankly, leaving Kisame to wonder if he was joking or not.

"Well then..." Kisame muttered, feeling slighted. Some of those kids were better than most other swordsman that Kisame had ever come across, they might actually be able to keep him in a stalemate for hours at a time. He swallowed the bitter pill and said "I'll be off, good day Orochimaru."

Orochimaru knew that he offended Kisame, but it was the truth. All of the members of this clan were extremely skilled swordsman, though that was not their sole expertise.

That and he really didn't want to say who the people were.

The snake sannin got up and walked over to the window of his office, watching the ocean tide push and pull on the beach near the edge of the village, small children running around and playing in the sand. His thoughts trailed back to a much more simple time, back when he was a shinobi of Konoha and why he founded Otogakure.

'I knew I would make a better leader than Minato... if only you would've seen that you foolish fossil.' he thought, his fist tightening. He didn't know why he even still had it, but his eyes glanced to a framed photo of his genin team, with Hiruzen standing in the back, him to the left, Jiraiya to the right, and Tsunade in the middle. They were all smiling, even him.

To bad that picture was taken a long time ago. Back when the world made sense.


	4. Reunions

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

Alright, so I read through my first three chapters, and you know what I noticed? I curse to much. I'll try to tone that down, but being the son of a navy veteran give you the mouth of a sailor.

Also just for future reference, I will be using custom jutsu that I came up with in my head. If the names are incorrect, blame the internet for lying.

**Warning: graphic Violence/Gore, Language. **

* * *

November 8, a little past three in the after noon

"Hit me with your best shot." Kakashi stood in a relaxed posture, his eye on a confident looking Naruto. The boy stood in his unique stance, grinning up at the Jonin in front of him.

'He's just as confident in himself as he was before.' Kakashi noted, Then the jinchuriki charged forward, moving like an orange streak across the ground.

Kakashi barely had any time to block Naruto's punch, his eye widening in surprise at the vast improvement of speed. 'This is just ridiculous! he went from slow as a snail to a cheetah!' Kakashi thought, weaving his head to dodge another punch.

Then ducking to avoid a third... and blocking a fourth... and you get the idea.

Kakashi shoved Naruto back with his foot, not surprised when he got back up and rushed him again.

'Still charging in head first though... close combat expert?' It would fill a team need, with Sasuke being a ninjutsu specialist and Sakura being a medic, having someone that got up close and personal would be greatly beneficial. None of them were strategists from what Kakashi had seen however.

Kicking Naruto back again, Kakashi spoke. "You've gotten fast Naruto... you've got more of you're father in you than looks, I'll give you that."

"You think I'm fast?" Naruto asked, a grin slowly creeping up his face. "What if I told you, I'm only at half speed right now sensei."

"...You're bluffing." Kakashi said, narrowing his eye before they zeroed in on the slight bulges on his legs. 'Oh damn, weights? That's... too much like Gai for my tastes.' he thought dryly.

Naruto kept the grin on his face, before he pulled the straps off his weights and held them up. Kakashi eyed them, then when Naruto let them drop, he sprinted with a noticeably quicker burst. As they hit the ground in a loud thud, Naruto struck out with his fist right into Kakashi's face, uterrly catching the copy ninja off guard.

Kakashi shook the blow off and narrowly dodged a second punch, and blocking a third before a person could even blink. The copy ninja tried to jab Naruto in the chin, but Naruto blocked the attack and struck Kakashi in the chest with a well placed kick.

The Jonin felt his back collide with a tree, and he was in a daze. It was obvious, that he completely underestimated Naruto's growth in close combat, believing that Naruto wouldn't have gotten this good for another few years.

Still, when Naruto came at him this time, Kakashi was prepared. Blocking Naruto's attack with his arm, he twisted to elbow Naruto right across the jaw, spinning from the momentum and backhanding Naruto backwards, knocking him off his feet.

Naruto was up quickly though, not giving Kakashi a chance to end it early.

Kakashi braced himself again, thinking Naruto was going to use the same bull rush tactic he had used up to this point.

Instead, he watched Naruto give him a cocky smirk and begin to weave through hand seals rapidly, Kakashi recognizing immediately that he was about to use a wind style element.

'Asuma is going to through a fit about not having Naruto as his student hearing this.' Kakashi thought dryly. That was the rarest affinity in the land of fire, the only place where anyone really had a wind affinity being Suna.

And even then, not many people used it there either.

"Fūton: Daitoppa no jutsu!"

Kakashi's eye widened again, the attack blasting him backwards but not off his feet. His heels dug through the dirt, scraping across the soil while his arms came up to shield his eyes.

'Okay, maybe not strictly a close combatant.' Kakashi thought inwardly. 'Naruto has already begun learning about chakra natures, and that wasn't a weak attack either... Itachi, whatever method you used, it worked. You've turned Naruto from mediocre to a prodigy in a mere two months. The potential ceiling for him is higher than anyone I've ever met... even Sasuke's potential doesn't seem to reach quite the height of Naruto's right now.'

Lowering his arms, Kakashi expected to see Naruto still standing where he was when he was weaving hand seals.

Instead, Naruto was about to clobber him in the face with his foot.

"Amai Agoongaku."

Catching the jinchuriki's foot, Kakashi decided he might have to show a tad more effort than he did against Naruto months ago, and fought harder, going as hard as he did against Sasuke day one. He did manage parried every shot that was taken by Naruto, though now he was trying to hit Naruto back, but Naruto just ducked or blocked them just as quickly.

Their spar seemed more like a dance between them now, moving gracefully and calculatedly against each other. Punch met punch, kick met kick... Kakashi unknowing continued to try harder, to the point he was fighting as hard as he would when he sparred against Sasuke now.

Yet still, Naruto managed to break through Kakashi's defenses, and thought he landed a solid kick right into his sensei's ribs.

However, at the last moment, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, being replaced by a log of wood. Naruto's foot smashed into it, snapping it into two pieces as his foot landed back on the ground. Naruto's eyes narrowed as his head darting around to find Kakashi.

He heard a faint but chillingly familiar piercing sound, the night against Mizuki flashing briefly through his mind before Naruto leaned his head to the side. He watched a shuriken sail right over his shoulder and impale a tree.

Naruto turned around quickly, throwing his own set of shuriken towards a bush, knowing his opponent was there.

Kakashi leapt up onto a low branch in a crouch, Naruto already leaping up at him again. Kakashi caught Naruto's fist and threw the boy to the ground, though Naruto managed to drag Kakashi down with him.

The copy nin managed to land on his feet however, instead of on his back like Naruto.

'His taijutsu stance is naturally similar to Sasuke's, being taught by his older brother. However, it's style is unique in its own way, Naruto's speed making him.. what is he doing now?' Kakashi was watching Naruto go through hand seals again, though this time it was a familiar fire jutsu.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!" Naruto spat a ball of flame at Kakashi, to which Kakashi again used the body replacement technique to avoid.

Naruto frowned, not knowing where Kakashi went again. "Come on Sensei, I thought this was a spar, not hide and seek!"

'He has two natures.' Kakashi almost smiled. One from both of his parents, wind from his father and fire from his mother. 'He might actually be able to not just compete in the exams, he might be able to win.'

Whist thinking this, Kakashi got behind Naruto and was kicking Naruto in the side of the head, though the attack was physically softened by the copy ninja. He was testing Naruto, not trying to cripple him after all.

Naruto rolled back up to his feet and sprinted right at Kakashi, planting his fist into the man's gut before he could even react. The blow knocked the wind out of the masked copy ninja, but he recovered quickly and grabbed Naruto's arm in a vice grip and trying to put it in an arm bar.

Naruto however, twisted as they fell to the ground and kneed Kakashi in the face, knocking the man off of him. Naruto rolled back up to his feet, noting that this time, Kakashi was the first to his feet.

"I have to admit Naruto," Kakashi began, not winded in the slightest. "you've improved far more than I could've hoped you would. Remind me to thank Itachi if I ever see him again." The copy ninja continued, slipping into his stance. This fight had already extended beyond what Kakashi had ever previously used on Sasuke, and Naruto still fought with the self given handicap of not using his own sharingan.

Naruto grinned, resuming his combat stance. "Trust me sensei," He disappeared in a puff of smoke, much to Kakashi's confusion.

He remained confused until the fist hit him in the mouth.

"I'm just getting started!" Naruto finished, disappearing again.

'Shadow clones? But how? He never weaved a hand seal for it.' Kakashi thought, ducking under the punch this time before striking out with a kick to Naruto's mid section.

However, Naruto took a page out of Kakashi's play book and Kakashi found himself snapping a board clean in half before a kick hit him in the back of the head, making him stumble.

Naruto stood with his arms crossed as he grinned at his sensei "I would definitely say that shunshins are definitely the coolest thing I can do, aside from my elemental jutsu." as Naruto spoke, his smile so full of cheek that Kakashi thought he could smack it. "Well, or this." Naruto then did one seal, and performed his favorite jutsu.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto's voice rang out.

Kakashi expected at most a hundred, but the numbers he saw were much more. Easily around a thousand, Naruto and his instant army immediately surrounded him. Some were crouching on the trees in the grounds like vultures watching an animal being slaughtered, but most of them were circling Kakashi on the ground.

'You're not leaving me much choice here Naruto... to think, you're actually forcing me to resort to this in a spar with you already.' The copy nin lifted up his headband to reveal his sharingan eye, and prepare for a fight.

The sharingan changed everything though. Now, Kakashi's movements were ten times faster and precise, seeing what Naruto was going to do the second before he did it. The mass swarmed forward towards Kakashi, who for a moment thought of using the chidori to blow them away, but decided that the small chance of him hitting the real Naruto weren't worth the gain.

So, he just dodged and smacked the army around for a bit, enjoying the change to stretch his legs. He still wasn't really trying, is sharingan eye making him go back to the level he had used against Sasuke. For a while this went on, before Kakashi grew bored resorted to a jutsu he rarely used to blow them all away.

A ball of chakra formed in his hand in an instant, and Kakashi smashed it into the ground. The results were pretty powerful, the shockwave blasting back and dispelling the entire army, leaving the real Naruto to land on his back and groan.

Naruto sat up, rubbing the back of his head. What the world was that just now? It was awesome! "Sensei, what the heck was that?"

Kakashi gave his usual eye smile, and spoke fondly. "That, was the Rasengan Naruto. It's an A-ranked jutsu your father invented... I'll teach you it some time."

"Seriously?" Naruto was ecstatic at that little tidbit of information, Trying to find anything about his father was something of a hassle, with him being a hokage and having his records locked up for security reasons.

That, and learning an A rank jutsu just sounded badass. The fact that it was created by his father made it better.

Naruto got back up to his feet, and grinned happily at this recent turn of events. He resumed his stance, ignoring the small voice in his head urging him to use his sharingan.

Kakashi looked at Naruto proudly, "...You wouldn't happen to have a trick up your sleeve for when an opponent is stronger than you, would you?"

Naruto's grin widened and he replied "I might..."

In response, Kakashi went and tossed shuriken at Naruto, fully expecting him to dodge the attack. Instead, they went straight through Naruto, who didn't even flinch or react when they cut right through him.

Kakashi stared at Naruto in utter panic, believing he just killed him. Then off course, came the utter surprise Kakashi was promised.

'Naruto' opened his mouth, and a raven popped out unharmed. Naruto's entire body seemed to turn into a flock of ravens that flew off in different directions, before the jinchuriki was no where to be seen.

'So, Naruto knows that trick too huh?' Kakashi thought, not all that surprised. Ravens were an animal that was fond of any of the Uchiha clan, much like the Nara clan with deer, and the Inuzuka clan with dogs. A Uchiha clan contract already signed years and years ago, back in the days of the first Hokage. All Naruto would have to do is learn the jutsu and he could use it.

The same could be said of Sasuke, but he would probably be less willing given that his brother is famed as 'The Raven of the Uchiha clan'.

Kakashi heard a twig snap and he whirled around, expecting Naruto to attack him up close again.

Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Naruto going through hand seals before shouting out "Fūton: Renkūdan no jutsu!"

Bullets of air hit Kakashi in the chest, making Kakashi have to do a flip to prevent himself from landing on his back. When he got his footing back, he found that Naruto had disappeared. 'Where did he go?' the copy nin asked himself mentally, before thinking sourly 'This is a lot funnier happening to someone else.'

Kakashi's sharingan eye however, saw a flicker of movement to his side, and Kakashi instinctively sidestepped, and landed his elbow into Naruto's stomach. "Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga." A wolf of lightning extended from Kakashi's hands, chasing after Naruto.

Naruto ducked behind a tree, the lightning wolf cleaving the tree in half before dissipating and letting Naruto charge at Kakashi again.

But this time, Kakashi was fully prepared for the burst Naruto had. He blocked ever attack with one of his own, countering with light jabs at Naruto's chest and ribs and from there, the tide turned fully towards Kakashi's favor, forcing Naruto onto the defensive.

"You know Naruto," as Kakashi spoke, he jabbed Naruto in the chest for what was the fourth time. "Your eyes would prove to be pretty useful Naruto, I suggest you use them." The copy ninja continued his onslaught on Naruto, landing a knee right into the boy's stomach.

The jinchuriki winced but didn't hunch from the light blow. "Yeah? Well I suggest you duck." Naruto said back, disappearing and reappearing behind Kakashi.

Effortlessly, Kakashi caught the boy's fist by the wrist before ramming his knee into Naruto's stomach again before flinging him to the ground. Knowing that Naruto would not activate his sharingan unless provoked, Kakashi decided to try to antagonize him until he used it. "You're still behind Sasuke, I do hope you know that."

Naruto again ignored the verbal jab."I Won't be for long." he replied simply, getting back up and aiming a kick up at Kakashi's head.

Kakashi blocked the kick easily, jabbing Naruto in the kidney. "Are you jealous of him?" Kakashi went on, shoving Naruto in the back before continuing. "I mean, he has everything you've ever wanted, recognition and power, he's treated with respect around the village,"

"I really don't care." Naruto growled, his fist clenching and his eyes flashing. He was obviously starting to get rattled now.

Then Kakashi put the icing on the cake. "He even has Sakura." The copy nin said coolly.

Naruto glared at Kakashi for a moment, unmoving. "I'm over it." He said finally, much to Kakashi's surprise. It didn't stop the copy ninja from attacking again, this time a kick to Naruto's chest, but it was still surprising.

Naruto rolled back up from the momentum, resuming his stance.

Kakashi frowned at failing to get Naruto to use his eyes, but braced himself. "Any more tricks?"

Naruto was focusing at the moment, but he breathed out "Just one. Katon: Karyū Endan!"

A serpent-like dragon burst to life, coiling to form a sphere around Naruto, yet leaving a gap for him to breath through the top. Kakashi's jaw dropped behind his mask, surprised that Naruto could use something like that so easily.

The dragon let out a roar and launched itself at the copy ninja, searing the grass beneath it. It collided dead on with the ground where Kakashi stood, a small explosion blasting it to rubble.

For a second, Naruto was worried he actually just blew his sensei to high hell, when a kunai poked him in the left side of his neck.

Naruto glanced back and saw his sensei standing behind him, the sharp knife in his hand. "Damn... thought I had you." he muttered.

Kakashi gave an eye smile and asked again "_Now_ are you out of tricks?" Kakashi asked, the blade still head firmly in place.

Naruto sighed, and for the first time since returning considered using his eyes. Why did he care about other's opinion on the matter anyway?

'Mostly because for all I know they'll think it's a trick from the fox and hate me more.' Naruto tried to reason with himself, but now he was thinking how idiotic that was. They didn't know a damn thing about the fox aside from it attacked them thirteen years ago.

For all they knew the fox attacked them because it didn't like the fourth Hokage's haircut.

Still, too little too late for using them. He felt a thud hit him in the neck and immediately collapsed.

* * *

Kakashi was looking down at the unconscious form of his student. 'He's definitely improved, he's at least high chunin level with taijutsu and ninjutsu, and he's able to show basic skills with genjutsu. Individually both Sasuke and Naruto have shown that they deserve the chance to become chunin.'

"Ow... my everything." Naruto groaned, sitting up. He saw Kakashi sitting on a rock above him, giving him an analyzing stare.

"Well Naurto," Kakashi began to say, looking down at Naruto with an eye smile. "I can't believe how far you've come. Not even two months ago you couldn't of touched me even when I was reading a book..."

Naruto smiled and interjected proudly "Now I can punch you in the face!"

Kakashi got a glint in his eye. "Yes. Now you can punch me in the face... but not before I kick your ass." the copy ninja said, smiling beneath his mask and saying "The team is going to be together at eight tomorrow in this training ground, come prepared. I still need to see how you three work together with you being gone so long."

Naruto gave a thumbs up and said "You got it Kakashi-sensei!"

"Another thing." Kakashi said, grabbing Naruto's attention. The copy ninja pointed at Naruto's weights and said plainly. "I don't like those."

The blond sweat dropped at the bluntness of his sensei, before he looked up at Kakashi in confusion and a little irked by that."Hey! I worked hard to get where I am with those!" Naruto shouted indigently.

"They're too... Gai standard." Kakashi explained, though that just confused him more.

"Who's Gai?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shook his head and sighed. "Nevermind. But instead of those bulky weights, I have these for you to use." He handed Naruto four small slips of paper, a small seal placed on the center.

"Press these on you're limbs for me."

Naruto did, and found that the paper itself didn't stick, just the seal. It was like one of the kiddy tattoos that people could buy from a dollar store and wash off after a week or two.

"What are these?" Naruto asked, poking the seal on his left arm. He watched before his eyes as they seemed to fade away like a mirage, which made him stare at his arm dumbly.

"They're called gravity seals." Kakashi said, proud of his handiwork. "You can activate them as you please, just give a simple thought and they're working. The two additional weights on your arms will work separately from your legs, since they are unused to having weights."

"Really?" Naruto asked sounding excited. He decided to try them out, activating the ones in his legs and making the weight fifty pounds. Sure enough, he felt the familiar pressure on his legs without any of the bulkiness of normal weights. 'Fifty pounds have been getting a little light for me... maybe if I add five pounds?'

He raised them, and was feeling a little better now that he could actually alter them at will.

Kakashi watched Naruto getting used to the additional weight on his arms in mild amusement. "This is the first level, the first of a dozen. It can go up to a hundred pounds. When you've gotten used to that weight, all you have to do is put on another seal."

"Got it."

"I suggest for your arms to start with lighter weight, say about twenty pounds." Kakashi continued.

"Alright sensei." Naruto listened to the advise, though his arms were a little unfamiliar with it, he didn't have too much trouble using them.

Kakashi turned around to leave, but at the sound of a roaring lion however, Kakashi whirl around ready to fight. Only, he found Naruto rubbing his stomach sheepishly.

The copy ninja sweat dropped and was almost afraid to ask. "Was that your stomach?"

Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly, and said hesitantly "... I haven't had lunch yet?"

Kakashi gave a sigh, shaking his head. "You might have grown stronger and more mature Naruto, but you're still the number one knucklehead shinobi in Konoha."

Naruto puffed his cheeks indigently. "Oh yeah... well, uh... You still have old man hair!" he finally shot back, sprinting off towards the village.

And by the time Kakashi registered the words, Naruto was gone.

Kakashi smiled under his mask and shook his head. He reached into his back pouch and pulled out an orange book. 'Now, what page was I on?'

However, there was one thing Kakashi had failed to notice during the entirety of the spar. Near the entrance of the training ground was a teenager, hiding behind the thick oak trees with a dark smile on his face.

'So Naruto, you seemed to dislike using your eyes unless you are in a dire situation. Orochimaru-sama will have to be told of this development right away...'

* * *

The bell for the end of class rang absently through Konohamaru's ears, and Konohamaru started to pack his stuff. He shrugged his bag onto his shoulders and walked out the classroom, missing the look Iruka was giving him.

'Naruto's spar should be over about now,' Iruka thought, reading the clock as 3:30 in the afternoon. 'I hope you can talk to Konohamaru soon Naruto.' He saw Konohamaru just brush roughly past another student's shoulder, and walk towards the door without saying a word. 'This is hard to watch.'

Since the day Naruto was announced missing, Konohamaru stopped trying all together in class. Granted, he didn't try much normally, but he at least did what he could to try and pass. Now, he put down random answers.

Konohamaru kept his head down as he walked, his mind in turmoil. Memories of his father would flash randomly in the Saratobi's mind, who went missing when he was four and was never found. Now the same thing was happening with Naruto, who was like an older brother for him.

To put it mildly, the last few months sucked.

Moegi and Udon were both waiting outside, hoping he would stop and talk to them like they used to.

But he didn't. He kept his feet moving and walked right past them, his eyes not even looking once in their direction and staring down at the floor absently as he walked. He felt their stares on the back of his head, but he still didn't look back.

He didn't know where he was going, only that his feet were going wherever they wanted to.

Or his stomach. He found himself walking into Ichiraku's, a place he had started going to almost every day, just like Naruto.

"Welcome to Ichiraku's... oh hello Konohamaru." Ayame's voice was unusually quiet, even in greeting Konohamaru. She perked up slightly as to try at least make it look like she was fine, but she missed seeing Naruto's face in the store.

He was like a little brother to her, all but living at Ichiraku's for the last six or seven years. For Konohamaru, Naruto was like an older brother, like Iruka was to Naruto himself. They were rivals, at least that's what the Saratobi told himself.

"Miso Ramen again?" She asked Konohamaru, who nodded absently, sliding into a seat and fiddling with his fingers. Ayame walked into the back to prepare the meal.

A second person came in after a few minutes, and Konohamaru glanced back expecting to see Udon or Moegi again, but he was greeted by someone a little older than them.

And also a little more blond.

"Oi, Konohamaru! Why do you look like your about to cry? You're about to eat the food of the gods!"

the Saratobi stared in utter shock at the newcomer, stuttering out "B-boss?"

Naruto sat down next to him with a grin on his face and said "One and only." He ruffled Konohamaru's hair, while the younger boy stared at the scar on Naruto's face.

Konohamaru didn't know how to react at first, caught completely off guard.

So he settled with engulfing Naruto in a hug. Naruto smiled softly, returning the hug. The fox inwardly rolled his eyes, not really caring what his jinchuriki host was doing but completely bored.

He shrugged before deciding to nap again, the best hobby the gods ever created.

Konohamaru let Naruto go and looked up at Naruto's face, but the Saratobi himself frowned at the scar on his face.

The smile disappeared seeing the scar on Naruto's face. "That scar kinda makes you look like Iruka-sensei boss." he said to Naruto.

Naruto kept the grin on his face, and said "I guess it does, huh? It's just in the wrong place, they should've hit my nose instead of under my eye."

They heard Ayame coming out with Konohamaru's food, and Naruto smiled up at the waitress. "Hey Ayame! Miss me?"

The girl just stared blankly at him, not blinking. She slowly grabbed a frying pan, never breaking eye contact with Naruto while keeping a disturbing look of calm on her face "...You idiotic little asshole."

Naruto's smile got smaller and his eyes showed worry. He gave a nervous laugh and tried feebly "I love you too?" After a moment, his face froze in fear as Ayame stalked closer to him, the food long forgotten on a counter and brandishing a pan menacingly.

Konohamaru looked between Naruto and Ayame before he gulped in fear and scooted away, shielding his eyes to the violence. 'Sorry boss, you're on your own for this one.'

Naruto's girlish screams were the only noise for miles around.

* * *

Itachi took a deep breath, coming up out of the lake near Ame. He was almost positive that the moment the first rain drop hit his head, they were aware of his presence in the village hidden in the rain.

Still, he had a job to do. It'll likely end in his death, or at least the loss of a limb, but he'll do it none the less.

Jiraiya had begun his journey back to Konoha, though Itachi knew that he wouldn't arrive for another six weeks at the very earliest due to the toad sage's 'research' for his novel.

But right now, Itachi couldn't worry about that. He was more worried about his own well being.

He summoned a raven, its sharingan eyes looking up at him expectantly. Itachi stared back for a moment, before letting the bird fly away to do its duty. With that, Itachi heard his stomach grumbling, and decided 'A meal before I die wouldn't hurt.'

He stopped in the first restaurant he found, a place called The Milked Cow. An absolutely terrible name, but given what the waiters and waitresses were wearing, it was not the worst part about the place.

No, the worst part was the terrible mistake he made. Strobe lights dotted the dimly lit place, hordes of aging women and even a few men lounging on half a dozen red couches.

This wasn't a restaurant. It was a brothel.

"Well howdy there mister, can I help you?" A fat and aging blond woman asked, walking up to her. She kept batting her eyes flirtatiously at him, which nearly made him gag. But that wasn't the worse part.

That honor belonged to the disgustingly scandalous costume she wore.

It was an actual cow outfit. Equipped with a bell tied around her neck, utters on her stomach, and a one piece barely covering her, ahem, _cleavage. _Itachi kept a blank face, but inwardly he was screaming in utter terror.

"...Mister?"

Itachi shook himself out of his stupor and said "I thought this was a restaurant... my apologies."

The waitress smiled deviously and tried to discreetly spread her legs while speaking. "this is a restaurant... if you want it to be."

Itachi blanched while she gestured to her... well, her womanhood with her hand.

'Kami save me.'

* * *

Naruto sat pouting with his arms crossed, large welts on top of his head. Konohamaru was snickering next to him, the first smile on his face in two months on his face.

"Now, may I take your order Naruto?" Ayame asked sweetly, cleaning off the pot she just used to bash Naruto's head multiple times.

"A simple hello would've worked... you didn't have to beat me up." Naruto grumbled, still pouting. He shot an annoyed glare at Konohamaru, who was cracking up.

"Do you want food or no?" Ayame asked again, this time a little more forceful.

"Uh... let's see." Naruto tapped his chin before he said "Ten Miso Ramen bowls, uh... no. You know what, make it twenty."

Ayame sighed dejectedly, mumbling "...I should seriously make you pay for your meals." before walking to the back to start making the large order.

Konohamaru sat around, spinning in his chair and making whishing noises which left Naruto to his thoughts. Naturally they fell in the line of his team and how he would be seeing them again tomorrow morning

'I wonder just how they've changed.' He mused, before snorting slightly. 'Wonder if Sasuke's still going to be a twat to me.'

**"All Uchiha are the same, arrogant and conniving." **The nine tailed fox said in his head, speaking for the first time in a few hours. **"Do not be surprised that he'll prove to be the same."**

Naruto frowned slightly. 'I thought I told you to shut up?' He shot at the fox sarcastically.

He could almost see the cruel smile playing the demon's lips. "**You are the most ballsy boy I have ever met."** The Nine tails said in an almost amused tone. **"Here I am, a demon stronger than anyone you have ever seen, and you sass me. If not for the fact that I'm trapped in here, I'd applaud you."**

'Damn, thanks. Most people get annoyed for backtalk.' Naruto thought, wondering if the fox was done.

Of course, it wasn't. **"I'm not a person foolish brat." **The kyuubi snarled darkly. **"I am the monster that caused the death of your parents and destroyed most of this pathetic land." **

'You really are dead set on that one aren't ya?' Naruto asked dryly.

The kyuubi didn't dignify that and remained silent. Once he had stopped talking for a few minutes, Naruto finally let himself come back from la-la land, just in time for Ayame to put twenty bowls right in front of him,

"Its on the house Naruto, call it a welcome home gift." The older girl smiled down at him kindly, the way a sister would smile at her brother.

Naruto took it gratefully, before he started to dig in happily.

* * *

Sasuke leaned against a tree with a stoic face, awaiting Kakashi's arrival. And though outwardly he was calm, inwardly he was berating himself. 'Why the hell do I even bother showing up on time?'

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, a column of smoke appearing in front of him. His eyes widened however, as a shuriken flew towards his face.

Reacting on instinct, Sasuke ducked and rolled to the side, his sharingan spinning to life immediately. He knew that he was overly reliant on them, but the way they gave him a boost in just about every single attribute made it hard to resist.

Sasuke saw Kakashi was standing where the poof of smoke once was, his headband up and his sharingan already active. Was Kakashi seriously doing this?

Apparently so, because while Sasuke stared dumbly at Kakashi the jonin went through hand seals quickly and attacked.

"Fūton: Renkūdan no jutsu."

Sasuke was blasted in the chest by a bullet of air, still caught well off his guard by the sudden fight he just found himself in.

"Kakashi, what are you doing-" Sasuke's question was cut off, as he was forced to block a high punch from Kakashi, shoving the limb away before ducking beneath a kick aimed for his head.

The last Uchiha grit his teeth and realized that Kakashi wasn't going as easy as he had in all the spars they had before. The bruise on his chest was an obvious pointer to that.

Going through hand seals, Sasuke let out an attack "Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu."

A fireball rocketed towards Kakashi, singeing the ground in its wake.

Kakashi went through hand seals quickly and put his hands on the ground. "Doton: Doryūheki no jutsu."

A wall of earth formed in front of Kakashi just in time, the fireball crashing straight into it.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as smoke filled his vision, not letting him see anything more than five feet in front of him. Fortunately for him though, that's all he needed with his sharingan eyes.

"Come on Kakashi, why are you hiding?" Sasuke called out, his eyes darting from side to side while the thick Uchiha boundary wall was at his back. Seriously, where did he go?

Sasuke heard footsteps to his left, and he immediately saw Kakashi running at him blindly.

Thinking that for once he had a free shot on him, Sasuke cocked his fist back and rammed it right at Kakashi's face, aiming to hit the copy nin as hard as he could.

But Kakashi didn't let that happen. No, he was too crafty for that. He caught the punch, before electricity flashed through his eyes. The oddity didn't escape Sasuke, but before the Uchiha could react, He felt Kakashi's hand dissipate into lightning that blasted him back in a bright explosion.

"GAH!"

Sasuke felt himself smack hard into the boundary wall. 'What the hell was that... a clone jutsu?' Sasuke looked up taking note that the smoke was clearing. The 'Kakashi' he tried to hit was all but dissipated into electricity that was sparking in mid air, the copy ninja fading away with the wind.

Once the smoke cleared, Sasuke saw the real Kakashi was sitting on top of the earth wall he made previously, a vintage eye smile on his masked face.

Kakashi waved good naturedly. "You're getting soft Sasuke." Kakashi called down at him, still smiling. "I've been too easy on you."

Sasuke gapped at Kakashi like this man completely lost it. 'Too easy? _TOO EASY!_ You've been working me into the ground, and even then you make me get back up and keep going!' He mentally screamed.

Seriously, Kakashi made Sasuke work himself into exhaustion before kicking the boy awake and forcing him to keep going. Sasuke didn't know what was going on, but if Kakashi was about to start pushing him even harder, he was in for a world of trouble.

As much as Sasuke wanted to improve, Kakashi had ludicrous training methods that usually ended with Sasuke unconscious.

Kakashi jumped down, landing in a crouch on the ground. "I want you to come at me like you're going to kill me Sasuke. I want to see how far you've come."

Sasuke kept a stoic face, before he nodded and fell into his stance.

Kakashi kept the smile on his face and gave Sasuke the 'come here' gesture with his hand.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his sharingan analyzing everything about Kakashi's stance. He tapped his knuckles together and charged, sprinting forward and threw a punch at Kakashi's face.

The copy ninja blocked it, stepping down towards Sasuke's ankle to sweep his legs out.

Sasuke pulled his arm back, leaping backwards to avoid Kakashi's attack. He went through hand seals rapidly and said "Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu."

Kakashi's eyed the small fireballs coming at him, a poof of smoke covering his person as the first one struck.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his sharingan making out the wooden dummy that replaced Kakashi at the very last moment. 'Where did you go?' Sasuke thought, his eyes narrowing as he kept looking around, only finding that Kakashi was no where to be seen.

Mostly, that was because he didn't look up.

Kakashi was sticking to the Earth wall about twenty feet above Sasuke with his chakra, sprinting downwards and aiming a fist down at the last Uchiha.

Sasuke looked up hearing the patter of running feet above him, and his eyes widened. He pushed off the wall and dove out the way, Kakashi's attack cracking the earth beneath it.

It was a restrained version of what Kakashi could've really done if he wanted, a Chidori would've killed the Uchiha even if he got out of the way, but it would've been more than enough to knock Sasuke clear into next week. The Uchiha got up quickly, trying to go through hand seals to use a jutsu.

Problem with that was that Kakashi wouldn't let him.

'Oh shi-' Sasuke didn't even have time to put together a string of words together in his head before he felt Kakashi's fist go across his face, sending him rolling across the ground.

Sasuke's shoulder hit the wall to stop his momentum, and Sasuke spent the next moment catching his breath before he got back to his feet. The Uchiha barely had time to widen his arms before he was blocking Kakashi's next attack, another punch at Sasuke's face.

He pushed Kakashi back, before he struck out with a kick into the copy ninja's midsection to create separation.

Sasuke had a scowl on his face, slightly winded to this point. He glared at Kakashi momentarily before he sprinted forward, going on the offensive again.

He swiped at Kakashi's face with his fist, hoping to hit the jonin in the cheek but failing to do so. Kakashi ducked under the attack, letting Sasuke spin around in front of him.

But Sasuke wasn't finished, extending his leg and using the momentum from the spin he did to kick Kakashi across the chest.

Kakashi was knocked backwards, and Sasuke kept swinging at the copy ninja in an attempt to beat the hell out of him. The jonin moved with the grace of a dancer, dodging every single attack.

Kakashi finally caught Sasuke's fist, planting both feet right into Sasuke's chest and driving the air from the boy's lungs. Sasuke smashed into the ground and sliding, using the momentum to roll up to his feet and resume his stance.

Kakashi stood in a more relaxed stance, his sharingan meeting Sasuke's in a stare. "All that power means nothing without speed Sasuke."

Sasuke was by no means slow. One of the fastest rookies of the class, he naturally possessed speed that no one else had. Hell, before the wave mission Sasuke was the fastest genin in all of Konoha. However, a hard work always would overcome natural talent, and if Kakashi compared Naruto and Sasuke strictly by speed right now, the edge went to Naruto by a large margin.

However, strategy was Sasuke's strong suits. He also had the raw power expected of the Uchiha clan, a clan that rivaled the Senju for centuries before the nations had formed.

So it came down to skill. And as of this point, Kakashi couldn't give either an edge. Naruto had a slight advantage in a unique fighting style, combining the front lotus with the Uchiha clan style, but Sasuke had the advantage of being a combative genius.

In short, it was almost unfair for them to be on the same team. With Sakura excelling at medical ninjutsu, they were well on their way to become a team greater than the sannin.

As long as they don't split the way the previous Team Seven had done.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes again, keeping a level head and charging forward. He put more speed behind his punches, silent rage helping him fight.

After a third attempt at punching him in the face, Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's forearm and spun him around. He tried to kick Sasuke in the back, knocking the boy back into the boundary wall, when a poof of smoke erupted around him.

Kakashi found himself kicking a log in half, and a fist nailing him in the cheek.

The copy ninja landed on his back, surprised by the punch. He got up onto one knee and rubbed his jaw. 'Substitution... not bad. Not bad at all.' Kakashi looked up and saw Sasuke about to clobber his face again, forgoing his usual over-reliance on ninjutsu.

Kakashi leaned backwards to avoid the punch and flipped backwards on his hands, landing on his feet. The earth wall he created earlier was to his back, and Sasuke was only a dozen or so feet away from him. "Intend to kill Sasuke, stop holding back." The copy ninja ordered sharply.

Sasuke glared before he muttered. "You asked for this..."

'Monkey, dragon, rat, bird, ox, snake, dog, tiger, monkey.' Sasuke went through hand seals quickly, both physically creating them and naming them in his head, though he did have to use the longer variant of the set needed due to lacking the skill needed for it. This was the first in battle use he had of this technique.

Lightning covered his left hand, and the sound of chirping birds filled the air.

As Sasuke sprinted forward, he let out the name of his attack in a shout.

"Chidori!"

The last Uchiha slammed his hand forward, aimed right at Kakashi's chest.

The copy ninja let out an eye smile of pride, though he managed to keep Sasuke from seeing it as he leaned out of the way. 'You've grown too Sasuke.' He thought, hearing the wall of earth behind him explode. He rammed his fist into Sasuke's gut, making the Uchiha spit out saliva.

Sasuke stood hunched over for a moment, before he fell to his knees, and eventually onto his face. He wasn't unconscious, but the attack efficiently ended the fight in an anti-climatic finale.

Kakashi looked down at Sasuke for a moment before crouching down to his level, the smile on his face hidden behind his mask but filled with pride.

"You did great Sasuke, better than I expected... you can have the rest of the day to yourself. You'll spend it training anyway, but make sure you don't do anything strenuous. I have a surprise for both you and Sakura tomorrow, don't be late."

"...You're the one who's always two hours late..." Sasuke groaned out, coughing. He sat up slowly, looking up at Kakashi.

Kakashi's smile didn't falter. "Don't worry. I won't be late for something like this."

Sasuke blinked, but Kakashi poofed away in a column of smoke before he could ask what the jonin meant.

* * *

"I said fifty laps!"

Guren's order echoed through the training ground, and rang in her teams ears. She knew they already ran that amount, but damn it she was feeling lazy today. She really didn't want to work with a team anyway, so why not just force them to do stupid stuff like this?

As she thought about this, she got more comfortable on her tree branch. Currently she was lounging leisurely on a tall tree in the center of the training ground, able to oversee everything that her team did.

They were good for their age, around mid-chunin level. But the fact that Orochimaru stuck _her _of all people leading a group of genin for an exam that was a month away pissed her off beyond all reason.

Hence the stupid exercises.

"We just did fifty!" Zaku complained up at her. "Why can't we just spar with each other or something?"

Guren gave a heavy sigh and glared towards the ground to her left, finding that Zaku had plopped down to the ground. He had his legs spread and his arms behind his head, looking like he was about to take a nap right on the ground. Dosu glanced warningly at his teammate, but said nothing as he stood next to a stoic Kin and stared up at Guren.

Guren glared down at Zaku, creating a thick shard of crystal with a terribly sharp point. "Pompous little brat." She muttered, tossing it at him, letting it land mere millimeters away from Zaku's manhood.

The Oto genin gave a yelp and crawled away, staring up at Guren incredulously.

"For kid mouth over here," Guren pointed at Zaku with her thumb. "Do a hundred more laps, and they better be done in thirty minutes this time."

Dosu narrowed his eyes, and spoke up. "Are you out of your mind?"

Guren raised an eyebrow at Dosu, who stepped forward. While she was insulted that the kid was about to call her out, she respected the fact that he had the guts to stare her in the eye unflinching afterwords.

He gestured to his two teammates, and spoke in a louder tone. "We've been running all day, we can barely stand as it is. You expect us all to run a hundred laps?"

Guren sat up in her tree branch, a dangerous look growing on her face. "In thirty minutes. Why, are you afraid that you can't do it?"

Dosu snorted at that, and said blankly. "No. I know I can do it, but..." He pointed to Kin, who raised a confused eyebrow at him. "She can't do it." Then he pointed down to Zaku and said "And this one probably could if he wasn't so damn lazy."

Zaku growled and jumped up to his feet, shouting indigently "Oh hell no! I can totally do it! Want me to prove it?!"

Dosu looked at Zaku impassively, while a tick mark appeared on Kin's forehead. "I can do it as well."

Guren looked confused, seeing what looked like a wink from Dosu and the boy turned his head to speak directly to his teammates. "Really? I'll make a bet with you two." He leaned closer and said "All three of us will run one hundred laps as quickly as possible, and the winner learns a jutsu from Guren. Deal?"

Guren blinked before it registered what he had said, but she didn't debate it. As much as she loathed to say, she was their sensei and was responsible for their growth, so why not teach them a few things.

"What do you say Guren-sensei?" Dosu asked, calling back to the crystal user.

Guren smiled at how Dosu practically worked this completely to his advantage. From what she had seen, he was the fastest in long sprints, as Zaku tired quickly and Kin just wasn't as fast as her teammates. So now, he had his team working harder and he was likely going to get a new jutsu out of this in the process.

If he wasn't careful, Guren might grow to actually like the kid.

"Sure kid." Guren nodded, leaning back in the tree. She knew no matter how hard they ran, it would take a minimum of an hour for this race to be over and wanted to get comfortable again.

Dosu, Kin, and Zaku all lined up next to each other and got in a sprinter's stance, while Guren began to count down for the race to start.

"3...2...1... Go!"

* * *

Naruto walked out of the Ramen stand, Konohamaru behind him with a happy grin on his face. The Saratobi decided to follow Naruto for the time being, a little clingy to him.

'Must be because of what happened to his dad.' Naruto thought sadly, though he kept the happy mask on his face. He didn't know the full details, just that Konohamaru's father went missing on a mission and never came home.

"Hey boss, do you have any new jutsu you can show me?" Naruto was knocked out of his stupor at the sound of the young Saratobi's voice.

Naruto looked down at him, and contemplated it. While he had numerous jutsu he could show Konohamaru, he didn't know his element and thus likely couldn't use any of Naruto's attacks. Besides, if Konohamaru had an affinity for lightning or earth, he was completely out of luck since Naruto knew nothing on any of the two at the moment.

There was also the crow clone technique, but Naruto was sure that Konohamaru couldn't use it either. Itachi told him that Ravens were expressly a Uchiha clan animal, the entire clan already having a contract written and signed for the next hundred generations.

"Sorry Konohamaru," Naruto said apologetically. "You have to wait until your older to get into the stuff I'm getting into."

"Aww!" Konohamaru groaned. "No fair!"

Naruto chuckled, and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked down at the Saratobi and began to muse what element he likely had an affinity for.

'Asuma-sensei has Wind from what I've heard, and Jiji has fire, so that rules out water and earth, but I don't know about his dad. Maybe Lightning?' He snorted softly so that Konohamaru couldn't hear him. 'No, Lightning needs someone with a level head to be able to use it, so it has to be either fire or wind.' Between those two Naruto couldn't rule out either. He guessed it was fire since it was the more common element, as Asuma and Naruto are the only two living shinobi of Konoha with Wind affinities.

'Maybe I should ask pointers from Asuma-sensei sometime? I'm sure he wouldn't mind...' Naruto continued in his musing, not able to completely ignore the glaring eyes of the village, though Konohamaru didn't seem to see them. What was it about this place that was so dead set on doing everything they could to go around the Hokage's laws and make his life hell?

It didn't mater. It never has mattered to him, but now it annoyed him. It felt like a thorn stuck on his shirt, the point broken off. Not painful, just a nuisance.

"Hey boss..." Naruto was snapped out of his musing and looked down at Konohamaru, who was looking up at the sky with a red tint on his cheeks. The Saratobi mumbled a few incoherent words and Naruto stared at him blankly.

"I can't hear a word your saying Konohamaru." Naruto said.

Konohamaru sighed and closed his eyes, blurting out loudly "How do you tell a girl you like her?!"

Naruto stared down at Konohamaru blankly for well over a full minute, who glared back up at him with a scarlet face. Naruto wanted to laugh, he really, _really _wanted to.

But he found that he couldn't. Not with all the people staring at him with hate in their eyes as he talked to the grandson of their hokage.

Why was it bothering him so much now? He was practically suffocating in the hatred right now, it was terrifying.

"...Just be yourself Konohamaru. Don't be someone you're not." Naruto advice, his left hand clenching and unclenching as he walked. He needed to get away from this, before he did something he was going to regret for the rest of his life.

Naruto patted Konohamaru's shoulder, saying "Listen Konohamaru, it's late and I have to be up bright and early tomorrow. Why don't you head on home, I'm sure Hokage-jiji will be happy to know where you've been for the last few hours."

Konohamaru frowned. "But you just came back."

Naruto gave a sigh and said lightly "Exactly. I need to get reacquainted with my team for the chunin exams next month." Naruto frowned as his explanation didn't work, and he continued. "That, and I have a lot to prove."

Konohamaru looked confused. What did that even mean? "You have to prove what?"

'That I'm not a dead last, that I can be just as good as my father once was, that jinchuriki aren't inherently evil.' Naruto rapidly thought, though he didn't say any of that. Two of those reasons weren't reasons that anyone aside from the adults of the village were aware of, and only two or three people knew who his father was not counting himself.

Instead he beat his chest with a cocky grin and proclaimed loudly "That I'm still the best damn shinobi in all of Konoha!"

Konohamaru looked up at the older boy he saw as a brother, truly believing Naruto's proclamation. Winning the chunin exams in Kumoagakure will prove it.

"Alright Naruto... see ya later!" Konohamaru said the last bit as he started to head home, waving goodbye.

"yeah..." Naruto's voice trailed off as he climbed up to the rooftops of Konoha again, finding it much easier to breathe. Naruto smiled lightly, taking a deep breath of air before he sprinted full speed towards his house, his weights still laying forgotten back at the training ground.

When Naruto got back, it was around nine P.M. He yawned and flopped straight down on his bed, smiling as he thought of the restful night of sleep he was going to have.

At least, it was supposed to be restful.

* * *

Naruto let out a groan as he found himself face first in ankle deep water, half his face above the water. He blinked twice before his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, staring up at an enormous red gate with a small paper seal up near the center of it, acting as a lock. There seemed to be no definite ceiling, the cage expanding past where Naruto's sight ended.

Behind the cage was utter blackness, nothing visible inside the large prison save for two chilling red eyes staring back at him. Each eye was about a hundred feet high, near the small seal in the center of the cage from Naruto's view, slightly above it.

**"Well," **The Kyuubi's voice rumbled above him snidely. **"It's about time you arrived."**

Naruto wanted to speak, but the killing intent radiating off the fox was utterly suffocating, and the fox wasn't doing anything threatening aside from looking at him.

Seeing his container was about to pee his pants, the fox snorted in disgust. **"I swear boy, you are nothing but utter trash. A real jinchuriki would have more courage than this. Where did all that bravado go from the noodle restaurant a few hours ago?"** The monster growled down at him.

The harsh words however, made Naruto raise his chin indigently and lip off without a single thought about his well being on the line. "Well damn, that's not very nice fur ball." He said, standing up and dusting himself off. He looked the demon right in the eyes now, and held a thumb up to his face. "But my courage is still right here."

**"A mask." **the fox said blankly, before it's tone grew dark. **"Little fool, you think putting on a mask that I've seen since you created it makes you brave? It makes you look even more pathetic than my last host."**

Naruto shrugged, keeping the cocky smirk on his face. "Makes _me _pathetic? Oh, I'm sorry, who's the asshole trapped in a cage?"

The fox's eyes narrowed, and he spat **"Calling me pathetic is foolish. You're mortal, you will die off and then I am free once again. I don't have to break free, eighty years is a blink of the eye to me."**

Naruto nodded, but said "That's true, but those eighty years, you're going to be... well, you're going to be-"

**"If you say it, I will kill you."** The fox snarled maliciously, knowing exactly what Naruto was about to say.

But Naruto just kept grinned and said it anyway.

"My bitch."

The fox smashed itself against the cage in a feeble attempt of breaking free, the nine tailed fox's form being revealed to him for the first time. It wasn't quite as big as the Hokage mountain like the stories made it out to be, but damn it was close. Well over a few hundred feet, the fox was hunching over to stare down at him. It had eye popping orange fur, matted down by the water of its prison. All nine of its tails were the size of entire apartment complexes in length, and all of its claws the size of full grown adults.

**"Come here, and I will tear you apart!" **It roared at him, its fangs dripping with saliva.

Naruto gave the fox a deadpan look. "Then I'll just stay over here." he shrugged, unknowingly infuriating the fox even more. "Now, is there a reason I'm here instead of sleeping like I wanted to be doing?"

**"Aside from promising to meet me face to face?"** The Kyuubi snarled dangerously.** "It's because your weak, and I am not going to be trapped in a sniveling coward." **The fox said, finally calming down after their little spat a moment ago.

Naruto glared at the demon through the bars and said "I'm no coward-"

**"Then why did you not use your sharingan against Kakashi?"** The kyuubi asked. **"Why hinder your own abilities unless _you were afraid!"_**

Naruto clenched his fist. "It wasn't the right time... and mostly because I didn't want to until the end."

The fox shook his head in disgust and spat **"It wasn't the right time? No, the right time was the beginning of the fight! The sharingan is a tool, one meant to be used. You saw what just how much more powerful you were with it than you are without it. Are you going to be satisfied tied with the Uchiha brat for the rest of your existence?"**

Naruto didn't speak on that.

** "You are a jinchuriki, the weakest might I add. The human sacrifice of the one tail is ten times more powerful than that pathetic Uchiha!"** The Kyuubi roared, slamming its paw against the cage. **"The five tails is over twenty times as, and the six is over forty, and the Eight tails, over a thousand times! Out of the eight pairs, we are one of the weakest, and I will not stand for it any longer!"**

Naruto was stunned at that. While he wasn't overly surprised that there were others like him, he didn't expect the fox itself to tell him that they all were that much stronger than him.

**"Do you see the problem now? Your eyes won't make you catch up with them immediately, but in the long run they will do nothing but help you."**

"I don't care what you have to say about it." Naruto finally snapped. "I've already grown stronger than I ever was, hell I've already been told I caught someone no one thought I'd ever equal!"

**"I don't care that you're catching up with that boy on your team, you need to grow to be as strong as his older brother!" **The fox said in a calmer, albeit still very hostile tone.

"You want me to grow as strong as Itachi?" Naruto snorted. "Do you not think I'm trying? If it was easy, I'd already of done it!"

**"I never said anything about it being easy. You are too brash, cocky, and weak minded to realize your true potential."** The fox said, lowering its head to Naruto's level.

"Weak minded," Naruto's face scrunched up. "what the hell does that mean?"

**"It means that I am not the only one capable of seeing through your façade." **The fox said harshly, its face coming into a cruel smile. **"The Yamanaka clan are specialists in reading people, in more than just their minds. They can read facial expressions, they can see body language. The Nara clan is full of complete genius, and though they are pathetically lazy, they are keenly observant. Hell, the Akimichi are one of the few clans I'd ever call decent enough to see someone suffering. That entire little trio you ran into earlier could read you like a book, boy."**

Naruto didn't know what to say to that. Was it true, was he really that easy to read? "So what? It won't stop me from becoming Hokage... it won't stop me from growing stronger!" Naruto proclaimed, pointing his finger challengingly at the demon caged before him.

The fox surprisingly nodded in agreement. **"No it will not. Not with me helping you as well as that Hatake brat."**

Did Naruto hear the fox right? "...uh, did you say something about you were going to _help _me?"

**"I did."** The fox said blankly, cocking its head and giving a dark smirk. **"And it starts tonight."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow, and asked "Uh shouldn't I be the one who tells me what to do? After all, you're a little... stuck?"

The fox gave a chuckle, before it said in a chilling voice **"Stuck I may be, but Uchiha Itachi is not the only one proficient in genjutsu. I can force you to see so many horrors, that you will be afraid to blink."** The fox's eyes flickered, making Naruto flinch and blink.

And thus began Naruto's tour of hell.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT (A lot more than anything else I've written so far.)

_Fire. Everything was on fire. That was the first thing that Naruto realized._

_The pungent smell of death and decay filled Naruto's lungs. It took a minute, but upon seeing the charred and nearly destroyed version of the Hokage mountain in the distance, he realized that the flaming crater was once his proud village. Corpses were strewn everywhere, terrified looks on their faces as they died in mid scream being burned alive._

_Naruto's heart seemed to crawl up into his throat, and he started running. He didn't know where he was going, only that he had to get away._

_Unfortunately, he tripped, and tumbled down an ash covered hill. The disgusting taste got in his mouth, but that was the furthest thing from his mind upon standing up to survey where he was._

_The Rookie nine were all together, their sensei's with them. Dozens of other nameless people were there, but Naruto barely registered the civilians. Just the Konoha twelve mattered._

_The closest team was Team Ten, who were lying in pools of their own blood on the scorched ground, limbs missing and grave wounds all over them. Their eyes were open and their faces twisted with terror and pain._

_Ino, the person closest to him, particularly looked the worse. Aside from her face being scuffed up with cuts and bruises, her left arm ripped off and a gaping hole through her stomach so big Naruto would have seen the ground beneath her if not for the pool of blood._

_Teams eight as well as the rest of team seven save for Sakura and himself was near them as well, looking just as bad, with Akamaru torn in half, And Kakashi's masked head ripped from his shoulders, laying next to his leg, while his torso was barely still together from the cuts on it._

_Naruto couldn't hold back the tears. "No..." He whispered, backing up a step from shock, but he tripped again, something fuzzy cushioning his fall, also being what tripped him._

_He looked at it in horror, and saw that it was a tail. It was a vibrant orange color blackened from all the blood and ash, coated in the life of others. Naruto frantically began to look__ over the rest of his appearance, finding his hands were growing long black claws and the whisker marks on his cheek turning to actual whiskers._

_More tears stung his eyes and fell down to his knees, his hands over his head and he was desperately using the genjutsu breaking method Itachi taught him, though it failed miserably._

_'This... this can't be happening,' Naruto thought, shaking his head and staring down to the ground, refusing to look up. '__ I couldn't have done this to them...' Naruto's thoughts were jumbled at best with terror and he resisted the urge to vomit. _

_"Na..ruto..." he heard a voice rasp out. His neck shook slightly in surprise, the voice coming from behind him. He slowly turned around, finding Ino's haunting eyes had moved to stare at him, her mouth moving. "Why...d...id you... do... t...his?"_

_Naruto shook his head numbly, and tried to speak. "I-"_

_"Do...be..." Naruto's eyes snapped down to the other side of him, where Sasuke lay. "Y...you... I hate... you... How... c...ould you?" His tone of voice was the same raspy voice as Ino's had been._

_A third voice spoke up, making Naruto leap to his feet. "Y..ou saved... me...from those... bullies... when... we were... little... j...ust to do... this?" Hinata's head moved on its own to roll over and stare at him._

_Once again, Naruto shook his head frantically. "No-"_

_"Y...ou were my... f...friend..." Shikamaru said from behind him, clawing for breath. "N..aru...to...you... monster."_

_Choji was the next person Naruto cared about that spoke up. "I...gave you...food...thought you...weren't like...the rest of them..."_

_Naruto heard yet another voice, though this was more disturbing than the rest. "I...screwed up on the... bridge... but I was... sorry... I really was..." Kakashi's head spoke, the mask still on his face. The copy nin's severed head had lost its headband, letting the sharingan eye stare at Naruto as his body twitched horribly._

_Finally, Naruto began to crack. "Stop it!" he screamed, his hands going up to cover his ears and clutch his head. He fell to his knees as tears flowed like rivers from his eyes._

_"I... thought you loved me..." came a voice on the wind. It was Sakura's voice, though her body was no where to find. "Y...ou always... called me... beautiful..."_

_Naruto looked around in vain for her, until and saw Sakura's head rolling towards him, the flames licking her blood stained hair. __"Y...ou're a... mon...ster..." her voice rasped out of her lifeless head._

_Naruto tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. Sakura's head stopped rolling right in front of him, her face seeming stuck in one horrible expression._

_Pain. _

_He wanted to scream, but a horrible sensation overcame him in the moment, forcing him to watch his own body as he let out a sickening laughter in the voice that belonged to the Kyuubi. _

_In his mind, a booming voice spoke. _

_"NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO UZUMAKI, IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH!" _

_Next thing Naruto knew, the world fell to black._

GRAPHIC CONTENT OVER

Naruto finally opened his eyes, finding himself laying down in the water right in front of the demon fox's cage. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst in his chest. The fox was staring down at him impassively, clearly not impressed with Naruto in the slightest.

**"And that was one of the nicer ones. Remember that." **The fox said in a calm tone, grinning dangerously.

'But... the seal? It protects me... right?' Naruto gave an involuntary shiver, standing back up.

**"It keeps me from eating you or killing you yes."** The fox acknowledged. **"However it can do nothing to stop the little bit of chakra I can send to you. I can't shoot fire at you or grind your bones**** to dust, but I can still use genjutsu on you if you annoy me.**"

Naruto stared up in horror at the fox, hatred and fear filling him all over again. This monster, it was never powerless, this entire time? That's impossible, the seal should...

His eyes widened with realization. 'The seal can't stop his chakra whenever I'm in a fight and need a power up, I guess he's not wrong about being able to push some of his chakra through whenever he wants.'

To think a few moments ago, he actually called the fox...

**"It will be dawn soon, and you still have to train with that Kakashi."** The fox said finally, interrupting his train of thought. **"I see that the first thing I have to do with you is teach you how to break such a simple genjutsu."**

"I already can break basic genjutsu!" Naruto said with narrowed eyes. That was by no means a simple illusion the Kyuubi cast on him moments ago.

**"Simple in my terms." **The fox amended, rolling his eyes. Of course he knew Naruto knew how to break a genjutsu, he was trapped in his body. **"Honestly, being able to break a child's illusion isn't an accomplishment, especially if you run across an enemy with Uchiha Itachi's skill in the art."**

Naruto clenched his fist until it shook. He couldn't believe this thing was such a dick.

...Well, he could, but that's aside the point.

"Then... we're done?" he asked slowly, staring up at the fox with narrow eyes.

**"Yes, we are finished."** The fox looked at him critically, before his lips twisted into a smile** "For now."** With those parting words, Naruto felt himself leave his conscious back into the real world.

* * *

Jutsu list (in order of appearance)

Fūton: Daitoppa- Great Breakthrough. C-ranked. A technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, though it's power is determined by its user (IE, an average chunin uses it, it can destroy a part of a forest. A kage can use this to destroy an entire mountain.

Amai Agoongaku- Sweet Chin Music. C-ranked. A strong kick that is aimed straight for an opponent's chin, producing a loud smacking sound through the air on contact. This attack can decapitate enemies.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu- Great Fireball. C-ranked. A popular move among the Uchiha clan, It is a technique where the user's chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth as a massive orb.

Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. A-ranked. A massive version of the regular shadow clone technique, it clones mass numbers of the user.

Karasu Bunshin no Jutsu- Crow Clone Technique. C-ranked. A technique that produces a clone by projecting one's own chakra towards dozens of birds. Because it uses birds as a medium, it requires less chakra than the normal Shadow Clone Technique, while still being able to perform techniques. The dozens of crows come together to form the body of a clone. When the chakra projected by the user is severed, the crows disperse, though the user is still able to continue to speak through it.

Fūton: Renkūdan no jutsu- Drilling air bullet. B-ranked. The user sucks in air before they shoot a highly compressed air ball from its mouth. Because of the large quantity of chakra kneaded into it, it explodes the moment it reaches its target, dealing an enormous amount of damage, as well as levelling anything in its path.

Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga- Lightning Beast Tracking Fang. C-ranked. By manipulating lightning chakra into their hand, the user can make the lightning expand to create the form of a hound. The hound remains connected to the user's hand, allowing them to control it during its attack.

Katon: Karyū Endan no jutsu- Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. B-ranked. The user molds their chakra into flames, then manipulates the shape into a dragon (The ones with no wings).

Fūton: Shinkūgyoku- Vacuum Sphere. B-ranked. The user takes a deep breath and then exhales a powerful blast of wind chakra. It can be fired in rapid succession from one shot, dispersing the attack over an expansive range, enough to make it difficult to avoid them entirely without taking any damage. Due to the properties of this technique, the expelled blasts are capable of piercing into and potentially through an opponent's flesh when they collide with it.

Doton: Doryūheki-Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall. B-rank. The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defence. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water.

Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu-Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu. C-rank. This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack.

* * *

**Before anyone complains about how Naruto hasn't used his eyes, be patient. That's coming, and not the 'GoT the dragons are on their way' but it's coming up in the next few chapters** (Actually its already written, I don't want to ruin the surprise). Mostly this chapter was to further show what Naruto could do, not show him actually go toe to toe with Kakashi (Kakashi was still not going all out, let's all remember who he is and how badass he will always be).

Another thing, should I make Naruto use a weapon (IE a Tanto (Like Sasuke's sword in Shippuuden but a tanto is about a foot and a half to two feet smaller) or a Katana)?

I update this chapter twice because I was informed that Sasuke's sword was called a chokuto. Not entirely sure it's right, I've been calling it a tanto for years now, so... yeah.

Don't forget to review!


	5. Bell Test

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

November 9, early morning

Guren was impressed. Granted she was still annoyed like hell but she was impressed.

Dosu did indeed manage to beat Zaku and Kin in a race yesterday, doing so with two minutes to spare. Currently, he was now learning the shunshin from her as promised. The other two had yet to arrive to the training ground, as the set meeting date for the team wasn't until three.

However, here she was with the kid bright and early in the morning, setting up various targets for him to flicker to. While overall his progress was only above average, he had the tenacity to keep going without stopping.

He only had average reserves, but his control was almost flawless. In the short amount of time, he already started to get the hang of it.

By get it, he hasn't ran straight into a tree in the last five minutes.

"OW!"

Well, never mind...

"Focus Dosu, you went to far again. You need to see where you want to go, not what is behind it." Guren lectured. She created a small shard of crystal and threw it about twenty yards away, impaling it in the dirt. It was around a cluster of trees, since Dosu seemed to have trouble around them and she was trying to break that habit.

Dosu rubbed his forehead before he got back up to his feet.

"Damn tunnel vision..." He groaned. "Makes you seem farther away than you actually are."

"If it was easy, even an untrained kid could do it." Guren shrugged. "You're getting better though, a lot better than I thought you would get on your first day."

"Tell that to the toddler up in the tree." Dosu pointed up at a young kid sitting Indian style watching them like a hawk. "I bet he got it his first try."

The boy had reddish brown hair and sharp blue eyes, wearing the normal black attire of his clan. A small Ninjato of fourteen inches was strapped to his back, though on him it was an average sized sword.

"...He's a different case. He's trained since he could walk to be a warrior." Guren explained.

Dosu felt a pang of jealousy, mostly because earlier he watched the kid just appear out of nowhere in the tree branch and watch them without saying a word. "So the kid has as much training as a shinobi as me and he's only like five. That's fair."

Guren knew what he meant. While Dosu had been training to be a shinobi since he enrolled in the academy, it wasn't the same as actual field experience. By that, Dosu had only been training for a little over a year. "His clan is an odd one."

"A murderous one." Dosu muttered.

"An _odd _one." Guren's eyes turned steely. "If you like breathing, never insult them. Especially that child."

"Why?" Dosu was taken aback. He was just a little kid and she was jonin level. No prodigy that kid's age could hold a candle to her, and only a few were good enough to deserve to be genin like himself.

"Have you ever seen the clan head?" Guren asked him.

Dosu nodded. "Yeah, he's the one that wears a hood over his face so you can't see past the tip of his nose." he said. "He's rarely in town though, he's always out in other lands."

Guren gave him a grave look and said "The clan head will force you to watch him slaughter everyone you love and burn whatever is left of your life straight to the ground, all before he ripped out your throat in the same night. Do not insult them." It was fact, he had already done it to some of the citizens in Kiri.

Dosu gulped. For half a second he thought Guren was joking or at least being dramatic, but the grave look on her face made him nervous. He would do that to a genin preparing for the chunin exams? Basically a nobody compared to a clan head.

"Enough about that." Guren said, pointing at the crystal in the ground. "I want you to try to shunshin there and grab the crystal out of the ground, _without ramming your face into a tree_."

"Alright." Dosu prepare to do as he was told, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Only he went to far again.

"OW! DAMN IT!"

* * *

Naruto's eyes snapped wide open, feeling like his heart had crawled up into his throat. His ears drummed loudly, a ball of ice forming in his chest. He resisted the urge to vomit, sitting up on his bed.

His mind flashed to the horrors the fox forced him to see, the pungent smell of death seeming to follow him to reality. He still felt the blood on his hands, the ash caking his face.

It felt so _real._ It didn't even happen while he was awake, it was worse than any nightmare he ever could have come up with.

Thankfully the fox seemed to have gone to sleep after their 'chat'. Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to ever see the beast again, let alone have it speak inside the contours of his mind.

He pushed the covers off and got out of bed, reading the clock. '7:15... I have time for breakfast at least, Kakashi-sensei will probably be two hours late anyway...' he thought, wincing as he turned his head to go to the kitchen and a beam of sunlight caught him right in the eye with startling precision.

"Like a billion miles away and it still nails me... prick." Naruto grumbled, wiping his eyes groggily. After the discussion he had with the fox currently living in his belly, he wasn't particularly hungry. Regardless, a weak Naruto was a useless one in his mind, and he went through his cupboard.

'Everything's rotten or stale. Wonderful.' Naruto thought, seeing his cereal was a month stale and his milk smelled like rotten cheese.

What was worse was the Ramen was three weeks past its date.

He sighed before going through his fridge trying to find something to eat, when he found a bushel of apples right in the middle of a large platter, a hand written note in front of it.

'I figured you're food went bad, so I bought you these. Also, you need better security, it was kind of sad for me to be able to waltz in here and put a giant platter in your fridge without you waking up.

Don't be late.

Kakashi.'

'...' Naruto stared at the last line incredulously, mumbling "You're one to talk sensei... don't be late my ass." Regardless, he was thankful for the food and made a mental note to go to the supermarket and buy more ramen.

He grabbed and apple and ate as he walked, heading out the door while glancing at the clock again. '7:23... I'm having a good start.'

To bad that his good start got a reality check once he stepped out his door, his neighbors talking down the hallway.

"...kid came back yesterday, or so I've heard."

"Why hasn't he just taken the hint yet? We don't want him here, he needs to take his ass and get out of our village... stupid damn fox brat."

Naruto rolled his eyes and kept walking, turning down the hall and seeing his two neighbors relaxing on the balcony and of course, he had to walk out that way.

Joy.

They stared at him dumbly as he walked towards them with a strained smile on his face, like he was resisting the urge to smack one of them.

The first neighbor, an older man up in his late thirties, nudged the second. "Told you..."

The second neighbor was even older, about fifty years old and 'pleasantly plump' as he described himself. He took up about half the hallway, being extremely overweight. "Dumbass kid doesn't take hints..." he mumbled, or at least it was supposed to be a mumble. It came out as a loud proclamation, making Naruto raise a brow.

"...Honestly I don't care, just get out of my way." Naruto stated dryly.

They did, and Naruto walked out the entrance to the complex before starting his trek to his team's training ground. He felt people still staring at him and climbed up to the roof tops again. It was easier for him to travel by roof top, he felt more comfortable doing it than he did walking down on the street.

He ran at half speed towards the training ground, his thoughts running rampant in his head. They ranged from thinking of what was said between him and the nine tails, to his previous spar with his sensei, and to seeing his teammates for the first time in two months.

He had run this very scenario in his head since the first day he trained under Itachi, but he was still a nervous wreck. He tried as hard as he could to get better, to get stronger. Itachi even_ told_ him that Sasuke and he should be on level with each other, or at the very least near even since Naruto didn't use his sharingan often.

But the nagging thought of his was that maybe Itachi meant the Sasuke from back on the bridge, not the Sasuke of here and now. Sasuke was bound to be training hard, he was a power-craving jerk after all.

He just had a lot of good guy moments.

Then of course, came the next little problem he had. He would be hiding who he was, basically lying right to their faces. He didn't want to use his eyes when they were around, and he would make damn sure neither find out about the nine tails.

He was on a rooftop within shouting distance of the training ground, able to see the backs of both his teammates sitting forms. Neither sensed his presence so far away, sitting in blissful ignorance.

'Relax Naruto. You got this... you got this...' he tried to calm himself, but failed to do so.

"A little nervous?" Came the voice that nearly made him scream like a little girl. Naruto turned around quickly, finding that Kakashi was giving him a cheerful eyesmile.

"Don't do that sensei! I almost had a heart attack!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi almost laughed at his student, before he saw what had Naruto sitting on a roof top. "Don't worry Naruto," Kakashi said seriously looking down at the other half of team seven. "Just be yourself. They're your teammates, they've missed you for a while. Plus, just so you know, you're much stronger than you were before. Albeit you still have some kinks I need to help you work out, but you've grown to be on equal terms with Sasuke..."

'on paper.' Kakashi said in his head, though he didn't utter it aloud. He needed to see the two side by side to see who had any sort of advantage over the other.

"...Everyone keeps saying that." Naruto mumbled. He wasn't entirely used to praise, Itachi not having enough time with him to break that trend. Then something clicked in Naruto's head and he stared at Kakashi for a moment. "I just realized that you're early... again. By your standards anyway..."

"Actually, it's only 7:35." Kakashi chirped brightly.

Naruto stared at Kakashi, before he narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously. "Who are you and what have you done with my sensei?"

"Mah, mah." Kakashi waved him off nonchalantly. "I'm always early Naruto, I just have a reputation to uphold."

'Seriously Sensei?' Naruto sweat dropped as the jonin gave him a thumbs up, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. He turned back to look at the backs of his teammates, Kakashi's earlier words making him feel better.

'Well screw it.' Naruto thought, jumping off the roof and landing in the training ground, grabbing the attention of his two teammates in the process.

Sasuke stared at Naruto with a critical eye, as if he was trying to see through a henge. He had added on muscle mass to his arms and legs, grown a couple inches, and changed his outfit. But what made him pause and accept that this was indeed the real Uzumaki Naruto was the scar on his eye, a mark that he received on the bridge.

"...Dobe." Sasuke finally said, crossing his arms while looking at Naruto.

"Sup teme?" Naruto asked back coyly, a sheepish smile on his face. He felt them trying to dispel genjutsu on him every five seconds, which did get annoying after around a minute. "I'm real you guys, you can stop doing that."

It was mostly a pointed look at Sakura, who was still staring at him suspiciously.

Naruto sighed, a little miffed that she hadn't said anything yet. He kind of expected it, she thought he was nothing but a nuisance for the last thirteen years, that probably hadn't changed.

"... You're back." She finally said, finding no evidence that Naruto wasn't actually Naruto.

Naruto smiled to himself and said "Yeah, I'm back. Did you guys really think the future Hokage would let a little fall take him out?"

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes, leaning back against a tree. He at least had the common sense of knowing that they were going to be waiting awhile.

The entire time, Naruto sat down in a meditative position and seemed to focus on his breathing. It was a tactic that Itachi taught him to use when he felt that his mind was clouded or he needed to sort his thoughts.

'He's a lot more mellow now.' Sasuke thought, taking note that Naruto was not in fact bouncing around like a ball of energy at the moment. 'I wonder if that rumor is true though... fast as a streak.' He almost smirked, thinking 'No way is he faster than me... absolutely no way.'

Sakura's thoughts were a little different than the Uchiha's. 'He's changed.' She stared at him, not sure if it was a good change or bad. 'Usually, he's trying to talk to me... What happened?'

She felt flattered that someone thought that highly of her, but wouldn't complain about this change out loud. Now though, he wasn't even sparing her a second glance, which slightly hurt her confidence.

For what felt like an awkward eternity, team seven remained silent, relaxed and awaiting Kakashi.

In the silence, Naruto replayed the conversation with the fox in his mind yet again, unable to focus on anything aside from that. He utterly hated genjutsu, despite living with arguably one of the best at it for the last two months. His skill in it had 'grown immensely' according to Itachi, but that was just to cheer him up about it.

Before, he couldn't detect a genjutsu at all, let alone dispel one. Now, he could sense it and knew how to dispel a basic one, but that was it. The basic ones, he could break them himself. But once he against someone that was a simple genin casted them, he was hopelessly doomed.

Unless he activated his sharingan.

His eyes snapped open upon hearing a pop in the air, Kakashi Hatake appearing on top of the arch near the front of the training field.

"Only six minutes this time, sensei?" Naruto asked, smiling up at the older shinobi.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, a little curious. 'Kakashi already knew that dobe was back?'

However, it was Sakura's indigent voice that proved to be the loudest."You're late! Again! And Naruto is back!" She shouted.

Kakashi gave an eyesmile, and rubbed his neck. "I know, I know... but there was a black cat walking down the sidewalk and I had to take the long way here." Kakashi then straightened to address the second part of her shout. "And yes, I know that Naruto is back, we sparred last night."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing. 'Was that why Kakashi sparred with me last night as well? To compare us?'

He got his answer with the very next sentence. "It's safe to say that both of you are going to fall behind if you don't train harder." Kakashi said, giving Sasuke a pointed look.

"Dobe? Catching me?" Sasuke snorted, crossing his arms. His onyx colored eyes flicked over to the blond boy meditating across from him. "What he did on the bridge was good, better than anything I've given him credit for, but he isn't ever going to be better than me."

Naruto opened his eyes and stood up. He looked at Sasuke and gave a cocky grin, before he said cockily. "Just wait until we redo the bell test Teme. I'll have them both before you can blink."

"We're... redoing the bell test?" Sakura asked hesitantly. That certainly did not go so well last time the three of them had to take it.

If she recalled correctly, Kakashi trapped her in a genjutsu.

Kakashi nodded at his team. "Mostly to see if Naruto's time away has lessened your ability to work as a team. Like last time, you have until noon."

He glanced up at the morning sun, as if judging what time it was. After a few moments, he spoke again. "By the way, the test just started."

The instant those words left his mouth, Naruto was already attacking. The sheer speed of his movements sent a rush of wind through his teammates' hair, utterly stunning them both.

Naruto's punch was caught, Kakashi expecting the speedy attack from the blond genin. However, Kakashi's attempt at a counter proved ineffective as the Uzumaki flipped backwards on his hands to avoid the punch, charging forward and taking another swing at the copy ninja's face.

They met, strike for strike. Kakashi did succeed in blocking every one of Naruto's attacks, but yet was also unable to get through Naruto's guard.

Naruto finally thought he had an opening, jabbing Kakashi quickly in the side of the face before ducking beneath the off target attack that Kakashi threw and reached for the bells.

He almost had them too, but not quite. Kakashi managed to regain his bearings quickly and spun out of Naruto's reach, kicking the boy across the face in the process.

Naruto growled to himself, rolling up to his feet and sprinting in again, lunging at Kakashi with his foot about to crash into the jonin's chin.

"Amai Agoongaku!"

The copy ninja leaned to the side to dodge the attack, before Kakahsi grabbed Naruto's foot with both hands, about to spin him around and throw Naruto back.

But again the jinchuriki of the nine tails didn't let that happen, twisting in Kakashi's grip until his foot was rocketing right for Kakashi's nose.

Kakashi had to let Naruto go early to prevent a broken nose, with the boy safely flipping back on his hands again and landing in his unique stance. Itachi had dubbed it the Sokudoken, or speed fist.

The grin had never left his face, and his hands went through hand seals so fast even Kakashi was having slight difficulty making them all out without his sharingan.

"Fūton: Daitoppa no jutsu!"

The attack made Kakashi do a single hand seal, a log of wood appearing in his place before it was smashed backwards, straight into the woods. The trees were blown to splinters, though Kakashi emerged back on the arch, lounging down leisurely.

While Sakura was having trouble scraping her jaw off the ground in sheer awe, Sasuke was staring at Naruto with wide eyes. Ice seemed to flood his veins, and a sick feeling of inferiority took hold of him, making him sweat. 'What the hell did you do in the last two months Naruto... how did you get this strong?'

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It just meant that now, Naruto wouldn't drag them down. However to Sasuke, it made him feel insecure.

Kakashi eyed his team, clearing his throat as he saw Naruto slowly reaching into his back pouch trying to be unnoticeable. "You know, the three of you are a _team,_" He called down at them all. His hand crept up to his headband, beginning to pull it up. "It usually works out better if you guys work together." He jumped down, lifting up his headband and revealing his sharingan eye.

He mentally smirked as he saw Naruto throw shuriken at his head, catching them all between his fingers and flinging them back at Naruto.

Before Naruto could react, even more shuriken flew over either of his shoulders, deflecting the sharp weapons flying at his face. Sasuke was standing at his side, in his combat stance.

"Don't slow me down." Were the only words to come to come from the Uchiha's mouth as he stared at Kakashi with an active sharingan.

"Funny. I should be telling you that." Naruto quipped back, his muscles tightening before he rushed forward, Sasuke behind him only a few steps as they charged Kakashi together.

Naruto got to Kakashi first, throwing a punch at the copy ninja's face. Kakashi blocked it, ducking under a second fist belonging to Sasuke.

Giving a small grin, Naruto attacked.

"Mega Inpakuto!" Naruto leapt into the air and rammed his knee into an unsuspecting Kakashi's chin, knocking Kakashi's guard down and leaving his chest exposed.

Sasuke exploited the opening, ramming his fist as hard as he could into Kakashi's sternum.

The copy ninja once again used a substitution jutsu, though this time, they simply found a rotting leaf blowing in the wind instead of a log.

"What the-"

Kakashi's elbow smacked right into Naruto's temple, interrupting whatever the jinchuriki was about to say. He also kicked Sasuke in the chest, knocking the Uchiha backwards into the destroyed wilderness.

Naruto rolled forward, getting back up to his feet and trying to deliver a heel kick to his sensei's chin. However, at the last moment, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, being replaced by a log of wood.

Naruto's foot smashed into it, snapping it into pieces as his foot landed back on the ground, his head darting around to find Kakashi.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blur moving at him like a streak of lightning, going at a speed that made him seem slower than a turtle. An arm was extended as it rocketed towards him, and all Naruto could do was widen his eyes in horror.

Kakashi gave Naruto what could only be described as a clothesline from hell, his arm smashing right into Naruto's throat and sending the boy tearing through the ground.

Naruto landed next to Sasuke, who was back up to his feet. For a moment, the Uchiha thought Naruto was dead, that attack was strong enough to have killed even him two months ago.

Instead, Naruto just rolled back up to his feet, though he was breathing hard and wincing slightly as he stood, he was still in fighting shape.

Again, Sasuke was left wondering just what happened to him. 'Was he training this whole time? Who was he training with? There's no way he got this good on his own, no way he should've been able to get up from that, let alone still be able to fight.'

Naruto glanced at him, before he said quietly so Kakashi couldn't hear him. "Hey Teme, I got an idea."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto, who resumed his stance. He took the time to analyze it, not to copy it, but because he recognized it as a bastardized version of his own. Again his eyes narrowed, though he spoke back "What is it?"

Naruto gave him a fox-like grin and said confidently "Use your fireball on him and leave the rest to me."

Normally, Sasuke would blow off any idea Naruto had, but seeing his progress made him consider it. "Whatever Dobe. You better know what you're doing."

Sasuke gave the blond a dull stare and nodded stiffly towards Naruto as he went through hand seals.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu." Sasuke muttered under his breath, a normal sized fireball rocketing towards Kakashi.

He glanced at Naruto curiously, wanting to know what he was doing when he saw Naruto finishing up his own set of seals and using a complementary attack.

"Fūton: Renkūdan no jutsu!" Naruto let a bullet of compressed air blast right into the fireball, increasing its size and power tenfold.

Kakashi's eyes widened, out of the corner of his eye he saw Naruto doing hand seals again. He was going to just jump over the attack, but the sudden increase in size threw that clear out the window and over the hokage mountain. The attack hit where Kakashi was standing, blasting away more trees and throwing up a cloud of smoke into the air. When it cleared, their sensei was no where to be seen.

However, Naruto heard a distinct cracking noise beneath him, and reacted quickly. He grabbed Sasuke by the collar, leaping up in the air a mere moment before two hands burst through the ground where their ankles would have been.

Naruto dropped Sasuke while rolling on the ground, resuming his stance. Sasuke landed on his feet and immediately dropped back into his own, baffled at what just occurred.

Naruto noticed Sakura had vanished, which confused him greatly. Did she run away in the middle of a fight?

"Don't worry," Sasuke mumbled, seeing where Naruto's eyes went. "Sakura is a medic, she's not allowed to fight unless the two of us are beaten."

Naruto frowned, and muttered "So basically, she's useless."

Sasuke was taken aback, not expecting that kind of negative reaction. Honestly, didn't Naruto have a crush on her or something? What happened to that? "She's not useless. Medics can't let themselves get hurt Dobe." He tried to explain. "They can't heal you if they're healing themselves."

Naruto tightened his fists as he continued to stare at Kakashi, who had climbed out of the hole in the ground. "Like I said." He said, his voice getting a little louder. "Useless."

Sasuke frowned at this, asking in a tone much louder than it should have been. "What the hell is your deal with Sakura being a medic?"

'Oh here we go.' Kakashi thought, not surprised. Of course there was going to be something still in the way of them working as a team, life would be too easy if there wasn't.

"My Problem?" Naruto glanced at him, his eyes hard. His tone was as icy as his stare, his gaze flickering between Kakashi and Sasuke. "My problem is that I don't want to be on a team like the one that was on the bridge that day. A team where the moment Kakashi goes down, we are screwed right in the down under. You and Kakashi were down, that is true. But she wasn't."

Sasuke's glare grew colder as he spoke. "She was guarding Tazuna. Like Kakashi told her to."

From her hiding place, Sakura frowned. Her confidence took another hit, Naruto hitting major points about what happened, at least in her mind. Still, was Naruto actually this upset with her? Did he really blame her for what happened on the bridge?

Kakashi sighed dejectedly and relaxed in his stance, watching the verbal match between teammates with a frown under his mask. Why didn't he see this coming?

"She wasn't guarding anyone Teme, she was holding you." Naruto corrected, his gaze completely leaving Kakashi and meeting the sharingan eyes of Sasuke. "Like always."

And now hurt turned to rage, as Sakura felt the urge to punch Naruto in the face. Of all the times for this conversation, he chose now? 'Damn it Naruto!'

"Is that what this is about?" Sasuke snarled, getting in Naruto's face. "You're going to fight me about this _now _of all times? Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious!" Naruto shouted back, moments away from hitting the last Uchiha as his eyes flickering from blue to red. "I almost died because none of my team was able to back me up! I got my face mutilated because she FELT THE NEED TO GROPE YOUR ASS WHILE I FOUGHT GOD DAMN ARMY! WHERE THE HELL WERE ANY OF YOU?"

'That's... not what I expected.' Kakashi thought. He was expecting a different issue, such as jealousy like before. However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw an orange streak moving towards him, about to clobber him the same way he did to Naruto with the lariat earlier.

Kakashi ducked under the attack, before he caught the following extended fist aimed for his head, jabbing his palm into the streak's stomach and throwing him over his head, making the streak flip in the air.

Naruto landed in a crouch, gritting his teeth while glaring at Kakashi, or more specifically at the two bells jingling around as Kakashi moved.

Sasuke stopped glaring at 'Naruto', clearly confused what was going on. He turned back to the boy next to him, but all he saw was a column of smoke.

"Impressive plan Naruto." Kakashi complimented. "You made that shadow clone while the fireball was about to hit me, and switched out with it to try to get the drop on me. You had the clone argue with Sasuke to grab my attention, which gave you an opening. Clever thinking, but it didn't seem to work."

'And you still clearly have issues you need to clear up with your teammates.' Kakashi added in his head.

Naruto grit his teeth in frustration, ignoring the glare Sasuke was shooting his way as the Uchiha resumed his stance. In truth that wasn't the plan he wanted to use, but he had to roll with it. What was supposed to happen was Kakashi go after the two of them, while Naruto flanked Kakashi from behind in a three prong attack.

Out of the corner of his eye, he was able to see Sakura in her hiding place behind a tree. She was glaring at him softly, not quite angry anymore and the hurt feeling creeping back into her.

Kakashi didn't miss Naruto's lingering gaze at a spot behind a tree. "... Was the argument necessary?" he asked finally, glancing between Sasuke and Naruto as he resumed his stance. He was currently sandwiched between the two, but it was a question directed at Naruto.

Without a hint of hesitation, Naruto spoke. "I needed to get it off my chest."

"Then why aren't you yelling at me?" Kakashi asked.

A grin crept onto Naruto's face, and the boy replied back "Because I'm going to hit you for it."

Naruto disappeared, shunshining behind Kakashi and swinging at the copy ninja's head. Out of the corner of his eye, He saw that Sasuke was sprinting to get back involved in the fight at hand.

'They're both angry at each other, but they can put it aside to try to get the job done.' Kakashi thought, catching Sasuke's fist while blocking Naruto's. He knocked Sasuke off his feet, using the leverage he had on his arm to sweep his legs between the Uchiha.

Then he proceeded to use Sasuke as a bat on Naruto, sending the Uzumaki flying long and far, clear out of their sight and landing in an undisturbed part of the wilderness in the training ground.

Kakashi tossed Sasuke on the ground, a relaxed look on his face. While admittedly he was fighting at a level far above both Sasuke and Naruto at this point, he wasn't overly impressed with their teamwork so far.

They had their moments, but the only viable plan he got was Naruto's ploy with the shadow clone earlier, and then Naruto was the only one aware of the plan.

Kakashi shook his head, and said "You know, I'm starting to have my doubts. So far, it's looked like Naruto has carried you on his back. Sound familiar?"

Sasuke bristled slightly at that, knowing exactly what Kakashi was trying to do and still letting him do it. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as his sharingan continued to blaze right into Kakashi's eyes. The last Uchiha charging forward recklessly, relentlessly trying to punch Kakashi.

But the copy nin's sharingan made that impossible, the jonin reacting the moment before the punch was even thrown. This dance went on for a minute or so before Kakashi caught both of Sasuke's fists and kneed the boy hard in the gut, driving the air from Sasuke's lungs.

He then brought his knee back up and hit Sasuke right in the chin.

Sasuke stumbled back, but Naruto managed to return to the fight before Kakashi could work him over.

Blocking Naruto's punch, he backhanded Naruto across the cheek before swatting Sasuke back with his other arm.

Sasuke fell onto his back, a nasty bruise right under his jaw forming from earlier. They were thoroughly getting their ass kicked, but he saw Naruto holding out his hand.

"Throw me." Naruto ordered Sasuke, not giving any room for debate. Sasuke shrugged mentally, grabbing Naruto's arm and spinning around a few times for momentum. He let Naruto's hand go, while Naruto curled up into a ball, and fly at high speed towards Kakashi.

"Kyanon shotto!" Naruro screamed as he collided with Kakashi.

The copy ninja was caught off guard by the attack, Naruto nailing him right in the chest.

The blond rolled off of him and tried to pounce on him, but Kakashi put his feet up and threw Naruto back towards the trees.

The copy ninja rolled up to his feet and caught Sasuke's approaching fist, burying his own into the Uchiha's stomach. He then smashed his elbow down onto Sasuke's crown.

When Sasuke stood up and faced where Kakashi was, he found nothing but air. He turned around as he heard a mischievous chuckle and found that Kakashi was not in front of him, but crouching behind him, an utterly terrifying glint in his eyes. He had both his hands were clasped together behind him with the index and middle fingers extended.

"Sennen Goroshi!"

Kakashi rammed his fingers upwards, and the attack hit the Uchiha heir in full force in the buttocks, and Sasuke was sent flying, a look of total humiliation and pain on his face as he screamed.

Naruto watched Sasuke fly over his head with a look of pity and understanding. 'That move... it should be considered s-ranked.' He thought.

"Well, you seem to be back on your feet." Kakashi said idly. Of course he knew that Naruto was only down for about a minute or so, but in that time Sasuke was completely neutralized as an opponent for an indefinite amount of time. "Took your sweet time."

Naruto shrugged, slipping in his stance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that there was a small crowd of his peers all watching behind the gate.

"Oh, you've finally noticed?" Kakashi asked lightly before saying. "I invited them to watch so they could see you fail. Sound fun?"

Naruto smirked and said "I'm not Sasuke. Takes a lot more than that to get under my skin sensei."

"Whatever you say, _jinchuriki." _Kakashi said in an almost haughty tone, nearly cringing at that. 'Maybe I shouldn't have said that... okay, I definitely shouldn't have said that.'

Naruto bristled sharply, his gaze turning icy. Of all the things he was going to say, of all the ways to piss Naruto off, that was by far the most effective one that Kakashi had used to date.

His eyes flickered, going from red to sky blue and back to sapphire. Kakashi's eyes widened before they narrowed, recognizing the red as the kyuubi's influence but the light blue right after was unknown to him.

Was that Naruto's sharingan?

'So that's how I can get him to use them...' Kakashi thought, readying himself as Naruto went through hand seals rapidly, a dark scowl on the teenager's face.

"Katon: Karyū Endan no jutsu!" Naruto growled through clenched teeth, a serpent-like dragon forming around him. It coiled and hissed, though the hissing soon turned into a full fledged roar as it flew at Kakashi, setting the ground ablaze.

Kakashi went through his own hand seals, bringing a hand to his mouth. "Suiton: Suijinheki no jutsu." A wall of water formed around Kakashi like a bubble, shielding him head to toe from the attack, which turned into nothing but steam.

Letting the jutsu dissipate, Kakashi used a more offensively minded attack that he got mere moments ago.

"Katon: Karyū Endan no jutsu!" Kakashi attacked Naruto with a small smile appearing beneath his mask. A serpent-like dragon had formed again, only this time Naruto was the one left gapping in horror.

Hearing the familiar ear-splitting roar, Naruto closed his eyes, faintly hearing someone screaming over the dragon, yelling at him. He opened them again with a smirk, a plan forming in his head, just as the dragon was about to strike.

Kakashi heard the shrieking more clearly than Naruto, daring to spare a glance over to the crowd to find a loud Yamanaka cursing at Naruto like a sailor with one Hyūga Hinata giving her a deadpan stare. 'Dear kami Inoichi, your daughter is worse than you.'

Naruto could only describe the next instant as a tunnel. The Jinchuriki felt a terrible pain erupt along his upper left arm, but he also felt his right fist colliding with Kakashi's jaw.

He fell down to the ground while Kakashi landed on his back in surprise. He stared at Naruto, his near kamikaze-styled attack almost getting his arm blown off.

'This kid just did a shunshin straight past that attack.' Kakashi thought. 'he ran straight and leaned to one side, narrowly dodging the attack while getting the chance to land an attack. It was brash, stupid, and I am going to beat the hell out of him for thinking it.' Kakashi watched Naruto get up, a little surprised and a lot confused at how Naruto's currently exposed arm was only redder than normal rather than nearly charred off.

'For once, I'm thankful I got a demon with healing powers in me.' Naruto thought, a strained smile on his face as he resumed his stance. His entire right sleeve was burned off, along with the shoulder area of his wind breaker.

"...I am going to beat you with a stick." Kakashi said bluntly. "I will beat you with a stick until you bleed. What on earth possessed you to think that would work?"

Naruto chuckled weakly, and cracked a grin. "It _did _work Kakashi-sensei. Sacrifice is needed to beat someone who outclasses you."

Kakashi stared at him, not responding to that and instead the copy ninja braced himself as Naruto shot at him like a man possessed.

The jinchuriki threw a punch at the jonin's face, and while Kakashi still caught it, he noted that it seemed to have a little more heat to it, figuratively and literally. Naruto's skin was like a small flame, not enough to wound, but enough to sting.

Kakashi tried to knee Naruto in the stomach, but Naruto deflected it with his injured arm, barely registering the pain flaring in his veins.

Naruto twisting around and throwing a kick up at Kakashi's head while the copy nin kept a vise grip on his arm.

Kakashi blocked it with his free hand, about to put the boy's leg in the same grip as his arm. However Naruto pulled his leg back quickly before bringing up his other to knee Kakashi in the chin.

The copy ninja tried to let go of Naruto's arm to block it with his free hand out of position, but found that he couldn't. He saw the smirk on Naruto's face, and the faint blue glow between Kakashi's hand and the blond boy's arm.

Was that chakra?

Before he could even speak, Naruto's knee hit him on the chin. "Mega Inpakuto."

Kakashi stumbled back, caught well off guard by the move. He flipped on his hands to prevent himself from landing on his back, and saw that Naruto had given chase. He tried to strike out with a kick aimed at Naruto's face.

Again the smirk returned to the boy's face, as Naruto swatted the attack before it could hit him with his exposed forearm.

However, Kakashi noted that when he went to spin around, Naruto's arm was still stuck to his own arm again. Faint blue chakra was glowing between Naruto and Kakashi, and now the Uzumaki tried to tackle Kakashi to the ground.

Instead, Kakashi leaned out of the way, grabbing Naruto's arm with his other hand and beginning to spin around. Kakashi noticed that Naruto's grip didn't get affected at all, the look of concentration on Naruto's face hardening.

Finally, Kakashi smashed Naruto onto the ground, seeing the earth shatter around the impact.

Deafening silence fell over the entire training ground, Sakura watching on with baited breath. She wanted to go find Sasuke and heal him, but right now that was impossible with Kakashi and Naruto's fight directly in between her and where he landed.

That and she was nervous that if she tried to go around, Kakashi would see her.

'Come on Naruto.' She said in her head. 'Try to hold on a little longer...'

Kakashi picked Naruto up by the wrist, holding the short boy up by the arm. 'Say what you want, he can take a beating like no grown man I've ever met.' Outwardly though, he spoke a different tune, saying softly so no one else could hear.

"You're eyes would turn the tide in your favor jinchuriki, still refuse to use them?"

Naruto's eyes flickered again, this time staying blood red much longer than before. The boy struck Kakashi in the chest with both his feet, flipping in the air and landing softly in his stance.

"That's... all you got... sensei?" Naruto panted out painfully.

Kakashi sighed and asked dramatically "Jinchuriki seem to have gotten stupider, haven't they?"

"Stop calling me that!" Naruto exploded, his eyes turning red and staying so. He charged in blindly and throwing punch after punch at Kakashi, each missing their mark. Reddish chakra started to emit itself from Naruto's hands, his whiskers growing darker by the second. While his attacks were faster, they also were sloppier.

'Didn't work again?' Kakashi frowned, swatting Naruto's arms to one side and making him expose his back. He kicked Naruto in the small of his back, knocking the boy to the ground.

Slowly Kakashi felt Naruto's killer intent rising, and foul chakra hit his senses like a freight train.

Then he heard the ground crack beneath him and saw a blur leap into the air, pushing Kakashi's attack away from the downed Uzumaki. At the same time, the killer intent from Naruto immediately vanished, the foul chakra dissipating in moments.

Sasuke stood in front of the down Naruto, in his own fighting stance. A humiliated look was still on his face from earlier, his eyes looking absolutely murderous towards Kakashi.

Sasuke glanced behind him at Naruto, and noted that the boy was barely even conscious. The Uzumaki's sleeve was torn off, and he had a bloody lip.

The Uchiha knew that he had absolutely no shot of winning like this. 'Dobe's done until Sakura can heal him... that can take up to fifteen minutes... I am so screwed.'

So he did the only sensible thing. He ran away from Sakura and Naruto, leading Kakashi away from the two.

Kakashi knew what Sasuke was doing, but he didn't have much choice but to go after him. Who knows what would happen if he stayed back and fought Naruto again after the kyuubi almost made Naruto go nuts on him.

"Get back here Sasuke!" Kakashi ran after the prodigy and left Naruto alone.

* * *

'Interesting...' the same teenager as before thought, blending in with the trees as a henged bird. He couldn't fly, but he could still get extremely close to the battle and no one would suspect a thing, not even the sharingan eyes below.

'He's also showing signs of hostility for his teammates.' He heard fighting from Sasuke and Kakashi, and glanced back at it. 'I wonder though, why would Orochimaru order me to stop watching Sasuke completely? How does Naruto fit this, he can't take his eyes without getting attacked by the nine tails...'

Regardless, his job was to watch Uzumaki Naruto, gauge his strength and send in reports to Orochimaru every few days. Odd enough to change from Sasuke to Naruto but watching him in action showed him why.

His ceiling was higher than Sasuke's, and his uncanny ability to get better so quickly was unlike anything he had ever seen. Naruto had already surpassed Sasuke in some ways like Taijutsu and speed, and that was without even needing to resort to his sharingan.

But his stubbornness on not using his Dōjutsu was holding him back. It was obvious, Naruto was much more powerful than this, he fought Orochimaru for Kami's sake.

Aside from his orders, he wanted to see Naruto use the sharingan, he wanted to see the sky eyes in action.

Apart from looks, they seemed to be like normal sharingan eyes, but he had a hunch that they could do things that the norm just couldn't.

* * *

Naruto almost groaned when he awoke, but the soothing and relaxing hands on his chest nearly lulled him back to sleep immediately until he heard the Kyuubi speak to him.

**"Boy, I swear... can you do nothing right? You have a two on one advantage!"** The kyuubi's voice growled into the darkness that clouded Naruto's vision.

'Ain't my fault that I've had a certain distraction involving an asshole with nine tails.' Naruto thought back, trying to open his heavy eyelids.

The kyuubi growled. After last night, this kid still lipped off at him. **"This asshole is going to love the day when he can eat you."** It snarled at him.

'...That sounded kinky.'

**"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU WORTHLESS WORM!"**

Naruto's eyes fluttered open, finding that he was shirtless. Sakura had her hands on his chest, her hands glowing green while a look of concentration on her face.

Two months ago, he would've been blushing until his cheeks looked like a tomato, but now it was only a faint rosy tint on his cheeks, barely noticeable. "Sakura-"

"I'm almost done, another five minutes and you'll be fine." She interrupted him.

Naruto sighed, and looked up to the sky. It was an awkward five minutes, but they came and went by without a single word spoken between them. Naruto sat up and asked "Why did you take off my shirt and windbreaker?"

"It was in the way. I'm still in training, I can't heal you through your clothes." Sakura explained.

'I thought medics could do that?' Naruto thought in confusion, but he didn't say anything on it.

Sakura took her hands off him as she finished, looking anywhere but his face. "I used your clothes as a pillow for your head."

Naruto glanced behind his head and found his clothes before he frowned at her blank tone, sounding neither spiteful or happy. She wouldn't even look him in the eye when he spoke.

And he knew why.

"Sakura... about what I said earlier..." Naruto rubbed his neck. "I wanted to say I was sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Sakura asked in a low tone, looking away from him. "You weren't wrong. I was useless on the bridge, just like I've been useless today. All I'll ever be is useless, and rely on you and Sasuke-kun strength to save me every time."

"Sakura," Naruto said, grabbing her wrist. She glanced at him, and saw his eyes staring right into hers. "you just healed me. I don't know what my injuries were-"

"Collapsed lung, broken ribs, dislocated thigh and a concussion." Sakura mumbled, her voice as quiet as a mouse. 'But the burns on your arm were already healed by the time I got here.'

Naruto gave a small smile. "I could be unable to move or dead if not for you Sakura. We all have our strength, and yours is being able to heal people." He saw her now looking at him curiously, not sure what to say. "You can fix whatever we break Sakura, that will never be useless. Besides, I already knew you were training to be a medic."

Sakura looked surprised. "How?"

"I asked Iruka and Kakashi-sensei about what you guys were up to." Naruto rubbed his neck again. "I needed to make a distraction and that was kind of all I had."

"You... knew I was training to be a medic? But that was suppose to be kept quiet." Sakura said, her quiet tone gone.

"Meh," Naruto shrugged. "they're the people that train us to be shinobi, they know how to watch us. I heard you learned basic genjutsu."

"Basics aren't going to get much more than a chunin." Sakura grumbled, a little irked that her training wasn't as private as she thought.

Naruto kept his smile and said "We aren't chunin yet."

"..." Sakura remained quiet, letting Naruto put his clothes back on. He had really changed since he left, and honestly Sakura found herself missing the old him in some ways. Sure, he was annoying back then, but now...

Now she felt like she didn't have the faintest idea about him. He acted like he discovered something horrible, like he was forced to do things that haunted him. He was still essentially the same person, he still cracked jokes and had that bright smile, but he seemed to always be hiding something.

He was also stronger. He was better than Sasuke at taijutsu, and he was just so fast that it was unreal.

"...How did you get so strong?" Sakura asked him, finally looking back at him. "Did... did someone train you while you were away?"

Naruto's smile vanished, and his face went blank to hide his emotions. That was certainly not a question he wanted to hear. "What makes you say someone trained me?" He asked calmly. Out of the corner of his eye, he was able to see that except for two or three people, the distant crowd was staring at the other side of the grounds and weren't paying attention to him and Sakura.

"You can't grow that strong so quickly on their own, no matter the situation you're in." She said. "Maybe your taijutsu would get better, and you would get faster and stronger, but then you've learned elemental jutsu as well. That's not something you just pick up while on the road Naruto."

"I-'

Before Naruto could speak, Sasuke's limp form flew from out of nowhere, landing in a heap a few feet in front of him. They heard him groan, which meant that he wasn't unconscious yet.

"So, feeling up to a round two Naruto?" Kakashi asked, walking through the trees.

Naruto and Sakura were left gapping at him in horror, their chances of winning looking bleak. Naruto slung Sasuke over his shoulder before he put his hands together.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" He said, dozens upon dozens sets of three clones appearing.

Kakashi smacked the army around with relative ease for a few minutes, but in those precious moments team seven managed to escape him. "Damn." He cursed, looking around. "Where'd they go?"

* * *

"Okay," Naruto set Sasuke on the ground and let Sakura get to work on healing him. He didn't fail to notice the fact that she didn't take off his shirt the way she did with him, but didn't comment on it. "Sakura, how good's your aim with a shuriken?"

Sakura glanced at him and mumbled some incoherent words before saying "I... can hit a barn."

"Only from half a foot away," Sasuke said in a groggy voice. The Uchiha brushed her hands off of him before forcing himself to sit up. "She can't throw a shuriken if her life depended on it. Now, she can definitely throw a shoe at someone, but that's a story for another day."

Naruto was intrigued by the story, but he had a more pressing issue. "You wait until I put you down to wake up? Really?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a deadpan stare that said 'bite me'.

"I can still hit the barn." Sakura mumbled.

Naruto sighed and said "Well, I got nothing then." He said shrugging. "I was going to turn into a shuriken like I did when we fought Zabuza the first time, but that's out the window since Sakura's aim is that bad, and Sasuke is hurt." He looked between Sakura and Sasuke before asking "Any ideas to take Kakashi down and grab those bells?"

After a moment of thought, Sasuke said "We could try the headhunter jutsu on him."

Naruto shook his head and said "No, he'd see that coming from a mile away." He snorted before he added "He might as well as have invented that move with how often he uses it on us."

"But what if we could distract him while we did it?" Sasuke continued on Sakura's line of thinking. "Maybe we'd catch him off guard."

"As much as I hate to admit, I have limits." Naruto said crossing his arms. "Since I'm the only one in fighting shape and will be for half an hour give or take, that won't work."

Sakura sighed, muttering "I wish he was still reading that dumb porn like he used too... then we'd have a chance."

"It only took Sakura fifteen minutes to fix you up." Sasuke said bluntly, not hearing Sakura. "Why would it take me longer to get fixed up?"

"Uh maybe because you were getting you ass kicked longer." Naruto replied plainly. It was true, Sasuke had been on the receiving end of a beating for almost fifteen minutes from Kakashi, though half that time was spent by Sasuke running away.

Sasuke snorted at Naruto's answer, but didn't reply. He didn't dispute it, Kakashi whipped him pretty hard during their 'spar'.

Naruto really didn't want to, but he was forced to ask the fox for his advice. 'Oi, you got any ideas?'

**"Use your eyes." **The fox said simply. **"What with the test ending in about twenty minutes give or take."**

Naruto's eyes bulged in alarm at that. 'What!'

**"Relax, with the girl useless on the frontlines and the Uchiha hurt, you can fight Kakashi on your own." **The fox said lazily, almost as if he didn't care about this entire test. **"You won't have to use it around your teammates."**

While Naruto liked that last bit, he still resisted the urge to face palm. 'Hatake Kakashi is arguably the strongest Jonin in the entire leaf village, how do you expect me to not only go toe to toe with him, but win in twenty minutes?'

**"Easy." ** The fox yawned.** "You don't win this test. You either take a vicious asswhipping, or you could activate your sharingan and take less of an asswhipping and have a chance to yank the bells off in the process." **

'...You have the crappiest idea of the word easy I've ever heard.' Naruto said dryly. 'Instead of snapping both my arms and my legs, I'd only have broken arms.'

**"Well, more like instead of a broken everything, you'd have a broken everything but your nails." **The Kyuubi continued to speak in a nonchalant tone, getting on Naruto's nerves.

'How can you act like this isn't important. This is what determines whether Kakashi-sensei lets us take the chunin exams next month.' Naruto shouted indigently at the fox. He didn't say it, but the fox knew what he was really asking.

After you all but threaten me with death for being weak, why do you not care about my strength?

**"I will take this seriously when you do." **The fox replied flippantly. **"However seeing how you realize I can force my chakra through these bars, do you honestly think I can't force you to take this seriously? That I can't activate your eyes for you?"**

Naruto blinked. Did he hear that right? 'And how can you do that?'

**"Simple, I pump my chakra like normal, I just aim for your eyes."**

'That could make me go blind.' Naruto deadpanned. Though if he thought about it, if that worked it might actually come in handy later on in life.

Maybe.

The fox smirked inside the cage, almost coyly. **"Yet it would finally let you see."**

'...I don't have much of an option, do I?' Naruto asked rhetorically, not expecting the fox to answer.

**"You have four options actually, two we have already discussed. Option three is where you sit here like a coward until the test ends." **

Naruto snorted softly at that, no way was that going to happen. He did see that the fox had an almost vicious smile while staring back at him from within his eyes.

'And Four?' Naruto asked, albeit a little hesitant. It was unnerving, to feel such a strong essence of hatred engulfing you yet knowing that it was only a fraction of the terror it was capable of being.

**"You could use true power." **The fox said darkly, the twisted grin staying on his face. **"You can use my hatred and slaughter Kakashi entirely. Slaying a jonin would gurentee you a place in the exams, and all but dare the hokage not to give you a promotion a month from now."**

'That,' Naruto scoffed, a scowl on his face. 'Will _never _happen.'

The fox slumped in his cell, before saying plainly**"Then settle with using those eyes of yours. Show them you are worthy the name Namikaze Naruto."**

Naruto smiled at the name, though he was a little confused. 'Why Namikaze? Wouldn't it be Uchiha since I am supposed to share my mother's name?'

**"I refuse to call you by that kami-forsaken name. You may possess a sharingan, but you will never call yourself by such a horrid name.' **The Fox growled violently, which did nothing to take Naruto's confusion away.

'What did they do to him to make him hate them like that?' Naruto wondered briefly.

Though the Kyuubi heard his unasked question, he did not respond to it, letting silence fill Naruto's head once again.

He gave Sasuke and Sakura one last look, seeing them both having already accepted defeat. Naruto frowned, not liking that one bit. "Are you two seriously giving up?"

"You always were a faster healer than I was, even back in the academy. I remember breaking your arm at least three times and yet you never once wore a cast or had any weakness in it the next day."

'I didn't wear a cast because the doctors refused to see me.' Naruto thought, but he didn't say that out loud.

"When Kakashi finds us we're diced meat, but at least you'll be alright in a day or two." Sasuke said with a sigh, not liking to admit Naruto had anything better than him, even as minor as healing faster.

"So?" Naruto snorted. He knew the fox said they were done, but he'd still rather hear Sasuke admit it. "We've had worse odds."

Sasuke glared at him. "If you want to suffer a beating for all three of us, neither of us are in any shape to stop you."

"I won't suffer too much." Naruto smirked, forming a hand seal. "I'll get those bells off Kakashi if it costs me an arm."

With that said, he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

* * *

Kakashi was wandering aimlessly through the woods, his thoughts on how they've performed so far. 'While there's been tension between him and Sasuke, they still managed to work well together in. They were rusty early on, but they've come up with good combinations and shown that they at least deserve consideration for the chunin exam. I'll have to ask the Hokage for a C rank to see them in mission time, and judge them based on that.'

However, his thoughts drifted further and further to the point of neigh frustration after wandering around for ten minutes to find them, leaving a meager twenty minutes for them to get the bells off of him.

But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find his squad. 'Seriously, one of them is wearing orange, Why the hell can't I find them?'

Kakashi was about to sit down on the ground and take a break, when in a poof of smoke Naruto was standing right in front of him like a present. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, praising Kami for finally finding one of them, and the only one that could even try for the bells for the remainder of the test.

"Have you come to give up Naruto?" Kakashi asked mirthfully, before it disappeared almost immediately upon seeing Naruto giving him a wolf stare.

"No." The boy said with a blank face. "I came here to take the bells."

Kakashi raised a brow. That was a bold statement for Naruto to make. "Empty pots sound the loudest, how do you intend on doing that?"

Naruto gave a ghost of a smile, slipping into his stance and channeling chakra to his eyes, which Kakashi immediately sensed.

Kakashi couldn't help but gasp as Naruto's eyes began to turn a lighter shade, glowing a vibrant light blue that matched the sky. Three commas appeared at once in his pupil, forming a circle.

Naruto's small smile turned into a broad grin, and he said in reply "Like this."

* * *

Orochimaru was looking over his village, seeing Kisame down in the village speaking with some of the children and giving them tips. A proud smile began to play his lips, his new goals seeming to inch closer to him every day.

"Orochimaru," A voice spoke out behind him. "I believe that we have found more than one adequate test subjects that I believe you'll want to play with."

The snake sannin turned around and saw his partner lounging leisurely behind his desk, chair kicked back with his arms behind his head and legs propped up on the desk. If it was anyone else that did that, he would snap them in half like a twig.

But his partner wasn't someone who he could snap like a twig.

"Another thing, the hell is that shark nin doing with my clan's children?" The partner asked, sitting up and turning towards Orochimaru. The guest's piercing ice blue eyes seemed to burn a hole through Orochimaru's back, making Orochimaru turn around and face him.

"He's advising them." Orochimaru said simply, though their was a hidden meaning behind his words.

The guest understood immediately what he was doing. "I see... have you told him who we are?"

"If I did, he would grovel at your feet." Orochimaru drawled, giving him a dry look.

The guest gave a twisted grin. "I do like it when they grovel."

Orochimaru smiled at that, before clearing his throat. "Now, what was this about new test subjects?"

The guest grinned and stood up. He slung an arm over Orochimaru's shoulders and led the sannin down to the labs. "You told me you wanted Ninja's with exceptionally rare bloodlines. You also told me to expand away from Kiri..."

Multiple corpses were laid out on tables, though none were from Otogakure. Instead, there were many people of different ages and countries, all with various wounds on their person.

Though it was the corpse of a teenager that intrigued Orochimaru the most. It had a feminine face, though it was a male and there was a distinct hole through the chest cavity.

"We found him on our way out of Kiri." The partner said. "I did a little digging, he was a missing ninja from Kiri and has a very unique kekkai genkai for Ice." The partner walked over to the body while Orochimaru followed in an almost trance like state, eager to begin with his new subject. "His heart is destroyed, as you can see from the location of the fatal wound, and there is a fracture in his jaw that never had time to heal due to dying."

Orochimaru brushed past him to gather his tools when the partner gripped his wrist. "We have an agreement Orochimaru. You want the body, I want the information."

"Yes of course," Orochimaru slumped slightly, and trudged out of the room with the partner in tow. They were back in Orochimaru's office, and the sannin went behind his desk to dig through it.

After a minute, he came up with a plain folder with reports inside. "Everything we currently have on one Uzumaki Naruto... the next report should be coming in three days."

The partner gave a satisfied smile, looking down at the folder gleefully before disappearing in a column of smoke. He didn't bother to thank Orochimaru, simply cackle to himself.

'I pity you Naruto...' Orochimaru thought, staring at the smoke. 'I truly do.'

* * *

'Hidan and Kakuzu are in grass country, with Deidara back in Iwa to scout out the area. Kisame and Orochimaru are in Oto for an unknown length of time. I believe Konan is out negotiating with the Kazekage of Suna, leaving Sasori and Pein as the sole members of the Akatsuki present in Ame.' Itachi thought, standing beneath a balcony to hide from the rain.

While this was not entirely what he wanted, it was the best chance he had to take out one of the members of the Akatsuki and hinder them further.

As long as Pein was having a very off day and didn't notice the battle Itachi try to kill Sasori.

Inside the building, was just a plain marble room the size of an apartment. The lounge as they called it, equipped with a small kitchen, a couple couches, and a fridge full of food.

He walked to the far wall, and slid a block through. A part of the wall began to shift, revealing a dark stairwell.

Walking down the stairs slowly, Itachi unsheathed his katana. If he could do this quickly and without getting spotted, then he could probably make it out of Ame before Pein even found Sasori's body.

After walking down what had to be half a mile under ground, Itachi was standing right in front of a massive room made mostly of stone. There were numerous marble columns helping support the roof of the base, each having a torch attached to light the room. To the far left, there was a thick metal door that was locked tightly, Pein's quarters. They were soundproof, not a noise getting in, and not a noise getting out.

Hopefully he stays in there.

In the back was an odd statue with ten large fingers towering over fifty feet high yet still no where near the roof.

Itachi found Sasori inside his puppet Hiruko not ten yards away, though his back was turned. He wasn't moving, he was as unmoving as the dead.

'Did someone beat me here?' Itachi narrowed his eyes, letting his sharingan activate. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, so he proceeded to cautiously walk towards the still puppet.

He was within arms reach, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a metallic glint. Looking back slowly as to not arouse suspicion, he faintly was able to make out a dozen people wearing dark clothing holding various weapons. None of them were actual Akatsuki members but simply people who wanted to join the organization.

Turning his eyes back to Sasori, he saw that instead of staring at the back of his head, Sasori turned around.

Itachi barely had time to react before Hiruko's tail nearly impaled him, driving him back into the wall. The dozen of people using chakra to stick to the walls all lunged down at him, aiming to kill him before the fight even began.

Unfortunately for them, Itachi was well-versed in the use of one handed seals.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu." Itachi let a fireball fly from his mouth and incinerate all of them at once, burning them all to nothing but ash in seconds.

He saw Hiruko's scorpion-like tail coming back at him, and rolled out of the way just in the nick of time. He held his katana in front of his face as he remained in a crouch, his eyes meeting Sasori's.

"You really didn't think we didn't know you would try this?" Sasori's gruff voice spoke out, breaking the silence.

Itachi grimaced, turning on his sharingan eyes. The sad thing was that he thought they didn't know he would do this. He was overly cautious, and hoped that would play a hand in adding to the surprise.

"I'm going to enjoy adding you to my collection."

* * *

amai agoongaku- Sweet Chin Music. B-ranked. A strong kick that is aimed straight for an opponent's chin, producing a loud smacking sound through the air on contact. This attack can decapitate enemies.

Fūton: Daitoppa no jutsu- Great Breakthrough. C-ranked. A technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, though it's power is determined by its user (IE, an average chunin uses it, it can destroy a part of a forest. A kage can use this to destroy an entire mountain.

Mega Inpakuto- Mega impact. C-ranked. A surprise attack where the user suddenly jumps up and delivers a devastating knee strike to their opponent.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu- Great Fireball. C-ranked. A popular move among the Uchiha clan, It is a technique where the user's chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth as a massive orb.

Fūton: Renkūdan no jutsu- Drilling air bullet. B-ranked. The user sucks in air before they shoot a highly compressed air ball from its mouth. Because of the large quantity of chakra kneaded into it, it explodes the moment it reaches its target, dealing an enormous amount of damage, as well as levelling anything in its path.

kyanon shotto- Cannon shot. A tandem move invented by Naruto and Sasuke, it's where Sasuke throws Naruto at their opponent and Naruto curls into a ball and spins, rapidly flying through the air and colliding with their opponent.

Sennen Goroshi- Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death. E-ranked. A very simple technique with an overdramatic name, the move is little more than inserting one's index and middle fingers into the opponent's bottom, causing constipation, extreme pain, and/or embarrassment. It holds no effect on unconscious targets. One could substitute the two fingers with a kunai and explosive tag/ paper bomb.

Katon: Karyū Endan- Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. B-ranked. The user molds their chakra into flames, then manipulates the shape into an Asian dragon (The ones with no wings).

Suiton: Suijinheki- Water wall. B-ranked. This technique is a defensively oriented, a wall of water forming around the user. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defence without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will.

Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. A-ranked. A massive version of the regular shadow clone technique, it clones mass numbers of the user.

* * *

I've been asked about the pairings, and I already decided on some of them but not all of them (Particularly Iruka, I feel like he should find happiness but I can't really decide with who.)

So, more friendly advice, anyone in particular? I have a general idea who most of you will say, but still, a couple of names might surprise me and I could use them.

So next chapter is when Naruto uses his sharingan like you all wanted, that chapter will be about twice as long as this one.

But that was the end of this chapter, so if you loved it or hated it, let me know with a Review!


	6. Blue Eyes and Red Sands

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

November 9, fifteen minutes to noon

The spectators of this bell test were growing bored. Incredibly bored. It had been only a few minutes since Team Seven had ran off into the forest with Kakashi in pursuit, but now most of them could see what was happening.

Some of the crowd, such as Lee and his sensei, were having a conversation on a specific type of taijutsu.

"YOSH! Sensei, what style of Taijutsu was Naruto using? It was so YOUTHFUL!" Rock Lee was bouncing up and down on his heels excitedly. "It looked a little like the Gōken, yet the stances and movement were nothing like it."

Gai had a thoughtful look on his face. He had seen the style once before. While Naruto's style was a variation of the original, Gai recognized it was the Sokudoken, or if you were feeling informal, the Speed Fist.

The Speed Fist was a Uchiha clan taijutsu, like the Gentle Fist was to the Hyūga. However, unlike the Gentle Fist, it was not a common style among the Uchiha. Aside from Naruto, Gai had only met one person who was proficient enough to use it.

Uchiha Itachi. The infamous Raven of the Uchiha clan, though was skilled in the use of the taijutsu he preferred Kenjutsu if his genjutsu wasn't an option.

Of course, the simple reason of Itachi practiced it to any degree labeled it as an evil and vile style, but that Naruto used it as well clearly told Gai the jinchuriki was holding back, and had at the very least met Itachi. The Sokudoken was a Uchiha clan taijutsu that could only be taught by another Uchiha, or by Gai himself to a degree.

"It's... a unique style Lee, called the Sokudoken." Gai told his student, a frown clearly visible on his face."It's not a style that you would want to learn. It's unyouthful."

Lee stopped jumping up and down at that, confused by Gai's tone. "But Sensei, I _do _want to learn it! I have to learn every taijutsu style-"

"If I had a choice, I would've never learn anything about that style." Gai interrupted, his tone catching many by surprise and halting their own conversations. He sounded as if he genuinely hated that style of fighting. "That Style is a Uchiha clan taijutsu. However, because of the raw speed and high stamina needed for it, only few even bothered to try to learn it, and even fewer succeeded. Those that did... they will be remembered for the wrong reasons Lee."

Gai of course, didn't say the entire truth. He didn't say that Naruto likely was taught the style by Itachi, or that Lee would've been a natural with the speed fist.

Rock Lee frowned and looked down at the ground in front of him, pondering Gai's words.

Next to him, Nara Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Yet another piece of the puzzle added into his mystery of Uzumaki Naruto.

'Remembered for the wrong reasons? Is he worried that Naruto might do something against the village or something?' Shikamaru wondered briefly, before he threw the notion out of his mind. 'Naruto would never go against Konoha.' He thought confidently. 'But that is Uchiha based... and even Gai is refusing to teach it to Lee. What is so bad about it?'

His blond teammate at the other end of the crowd however, completely missed the conversation. She had zoned out and started to stare at the wilderness in boredom.

"Where the hell did they go?" Ino finally moaned out.

When team seven disappeared into the forest, they didn't come back out at all. It was weird for Naruto to stay out of the spot light like this, but given that Kakashi had been utterly throttling them on and off for a good couple hours, it wasn't surprising that they ran either.

Neji had activated his Byakugan to scan the forest, finding that Sasuke and Sakura were still hidden from Kakashi almost at the other end of the training ground. 'What is the dead last doing? Is he really going to take a beating to protect his teammates?' He wondered. While he thought that Naruto was an utter failure, he felt a _smidge _of respect for Naruto's courage.

He cleared his throat and said out loud "I can see the Uchiha's chakra signature still hidden far from Kakashi along with Haruno... but Uzumaki is preparing to face Kakashi head on."

"... He's doing _what?" _Ino asked in a deadpan while Shikamaru face palmed. Choji groaned at Naruto's idea, thinking it was utterly stupid.

Team eight seemed to agree with the other rookie team. Shino simply sighed to himself, mumbling things only he could hear.

"What a fool, trying a failing tactic twice." Hinata said whilst shaking her head. Her Byakugan was active as well, and she did not need Neji's commentary on what was happening, able to see it for herself.

Neji looked closer at Naruto's chakra pathways, and saw his eyes lighting up almost like a homing beacon for him. "No... he isn't." He interjected, though the sharper jonin shinobi caught the lack of any form of respect from the branch Hyūga to the clan head's daughter. "He's channeling his chakra through his eyes in the same fashion of a Hyūga or Uchiha would... why would he do that...?"

The ice in Hinata's eyes while staring at Neji was unnerving to most, though Neji didn't even flinch. It was more than a rebellious fire like before, something was clearly wrong with this picture to Kurenai. 'A branch house member would've been killed where they stood for speaking like that to a main house member.'

Shikamaru's eyes bulged out of his sockets at Neji's words. 'Nothing is making sense... a taijutsu style that even Gui frowns at and channeling chakra through his eyes? Just what happened to him while he was gone?'

A thought occurred to him, before he trashed it. 'Is he a Hyūga or a Uchiha? No... the Uchiha always had black hair and eyes, and the Hyūga always had pearl white eyes. But then... who is he?'

"Why would Naruto channel chakra to his eyes?" Ino asked herself out loud, the same question running through Shikamaru's mind running through hers.

"Damn you, Naruto..." Unlike the rest of the genin, who seemed confused by Naruto's play, Kiba was growing angrier by the second. He was growling softly to himself, clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly.

How did Naruto gain enough power to even consider fighting a jonin one on one for fifteen minutes? He might have been an idiot, but even Naruto knew better than to do that without thinking they had a puncher's chance at yanking the bells off Kakashi.

'Naruto isn't supposed to be able to make dragons out of flames, survive going toe to toe with a jonin, and be adept in two different chakra natures naturally before making it to chunin.' He thought bitterly.

And he certainly wasn't supposed to have a reason to channel chakra through his eyes.

Shino saw the frustration on his teammate's face, and understood it though he didn't feel the same way. Ever since they had met, Naruto had a knack for doing things no one else could do. The only problem was that he would only apply this to pranking people when they were younger. "It would seem that Uzumaki-san has yet another trick up his sleeve."

The Nara clan heir nodded his head in agreement. His sensei caught the look on Shikamaru's face, the same when the Nara was given a puzzle that he was trying to solve.

"Troublesome."

* * *

"Ow!" Sasuke winced as Sakura worked on healing his shoulder. The two other members of team seven were safely hidden away so that Sakura would be able to have enough room to work on healing Sasuke.

"To think, Naruto actually thinks he can get the bells on his own." The Uchiha snorted. "Once an idiot, always an idiot."

Sakura pursed her lips. "...I don't think he thinks he can win." She admitted to the Avenger. A genin taking on a jonin? Yeah, that's in the catergory of an ant fighting an elephant.

It won't end well.

Sasuke snorted at Sakura's response. "Of course he doesn't think he can win." Sasuke replied. He was condescending, not an oblivious prick. "He's doing this to spare the two of us a beatdown."

The Uchiha felt a little angered by this. In the back of his mind he remembered that Naruto essentially did the same thing for them on the bridge, and how that played out.

'Here we go again.' He thought. Last time, it was only thanks to Naruto the rest of them survived. Now though, Kakashi wasn't there to help Sasuke butcher the remains of the army after Naruto cut it in half.

The pink haired girl moved her hands down lower onto Sasuke's arm, making the Uchiha give an involuntary wince. "He always was too noble for his own good." She said quietly, not really speaking to Sasuke and more so to herself.

Sasuke grunted in agreement, ignoring the fading aches in his arm as he remembered all the good things Naruto did around the village. Whatever money he didn't spend, he watched Naruto donate it to the very orphanage that booted him out at the age of five, in his spare time, he was throwing out advice at Saratobi Konohamaru before they left for Wave, or when they were all younger and he protected Hinata from a bunch of older kids that didn't even make it in the shinobi life.

Heck, Naruto was probably still going to be like that if Sasuke thought about it, he'll probably help around the village whenever he got the chance. He was too much of a good person not too.

Sasuke began to hear the distant sounds of fighting, just whispers on the wind. It hurt his pride almost as much as his shoulder that he wasn't participating because of an injury.

What made it even worse was that he was left handed and it was his right shoulder that was hurt. _That _infuriated him to no end.

'This is a test of teamwork... and only one person is even trying to win anymore.' He thought, though he wouldn't admit it out loud that technically meant that Naruto outlasted him, _again_.

First it was the bridge, now it was the retake for the bell test. 'I'm not going to let Dobe get the better of me... not again.' With the faint sounds of fighting still ringing in his ears, Sasuke stood up. He ignored the flaring pain from his shoulder and Sakura telling him to sit back down.

"We need to help Naruto win the test." He declared, looking back at Sakura. His hand was holding his shoulder still, and he was only putting weight on one leg as he stood.

The pink haired girl again was shaking her head. "You said it earlier, we're in no shape to help Naruto right now." She said with finality in her tone. It wasn't that she didn't want to help Naruto, it was more that she didn't want Sasuke stuck in the hospital for a month overexerting himself.

"I want to become a chunin next month, and if Kakashi thinks our teamwork is rusty than we won't be able to participate." Sasuke said back, trying to use the most logical explanation he could. "So come on and let's go help Dobe get the bells."

"I'm a medic, I can't go into a combat zone." Sakura replied, before she said again "And you're still hurt. Badly."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment before he began to argue again. "We can't just sit here and do nothing while he gets pummeled for fifteen minutes. I only lasted that long because I was smart enough to run!" He began to ignore her advice to stay out of the fight and go to help Naruto in any way he could. However, when he took a step forward he promptly fell down onto his face and bit back a scream.

Apparently he hurt his knee as well. 'Great. Just what I needed, another reason she won't let me go.' Sasuke thought bitterly.

Sakura sighed and moved over to where he was, helping him sit up. "We can't help Naruto right now. Like I said, I'm not worth much for combat and _you are seriously injured_."

She put emphasis on the last part, which made Sasuke glare at her. She glared back defiantly, not moving an inch. It was quite the anomaly, since Sakura had always done what he wanted in the past.

"We still need to help him out." He insisted, trying to brush off her hands but failing to do so.

"We'd only get in the way." Sakura repeated yet again.

"But the last time we let Naruto fight on his own, he nearly lost his eye and fell off the bridge." Sasuke brought up what sounded like a very good point in his book. "I refuse to sit here and do nothing-"

Sakura pinched a nerve in the back of Sasuke's neck, making him fall unconscious immediately. It was a trick a lot of medics knew to use on stubborn patients when they didn't have anything to knock them out with.

Knowing he was going to be angry when he woke up, she gave a tired sigh. 'He'll get over it... I hope.' She placed her hands back on his shoulder and continued the process of healing his body.

* * *

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu." Naruto's voice held a serious tone while he spoke, a single clone popping to life next to him before they both rushed Kakashi.

"What, no witty banter?" Kakashi asked jokingly, receiving silence. He mentally shrugged and met them both head on, catching a punch from Naruto in his hand while the clone tried to sweep out his legs. He tried to kick down at the clones face, but Naruto got in the way and threw his leg upwards.

'He's good at working in tandem with himself at least, so I know there's room for improvement.' Kakashi thought, flipping backwards on his hands before deflecting a punch coming at his nose. The other Naruto, he didn't know if it was the clone or not, aimed a quick kick at his side, trying to knock the bells off his hip. Kakashi grabbed them both by the base of their skull and flipped over their heads, throwing a shuriken at them both.

Neither of the shuriken were aimed to kill of course, only scratching their arms on their sleeveless side. The clone popped from the attack, but Naruto continued to fight on without it. "Amai Agoongaku." Naruto tried to kick Kakashi in the chin, but his leg was pushed up by Kakashi's hand to miss the jonin's head. Before he could get his foot back on the ground, Kakashi countered up the strike with a punch towards Naruto's midsection.

Naruto blocked the punch with his other leg, jumping up and letting the fist hit his knee. He was sent backwards, slamming his feet onto the ground and skidding on his heels across the fallen leaves and twigs.

Before Naruto even stopped skidding back, he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

'Shunshin.' Kakashi thought, glancing all over the place to find him. When he did, he saw Naruto was in his blind spot on his right and had his fist rocketing towards Kakashi's cheek.

He also noted that when Naruto moved, his body almost seemed to blur with orange streaking behind him.

Kakashi ducked under the punch and again countered it with a punch to Naruto's midsection, but instead he found Naruto's foot crossing his face first.

The Copy nin fell back, more surprised than actually injured. He didn't let his back hit the ground though, landing on his hands to push himself back up and hit Naruto in the nose with his elbow.

Naruto stumbled back, unwittingly giving Kakashi room to go through hand seals for an attack.

"Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga."

Lightning arced off of Kakashi's hand, taking a loose form of a snarling wolf. The wolf dashed through the air, looking like a true beast of the wild as it sprinted towards the Jinchuriki.

As fast as Naruto was, not many people had the right to claim they could outrun lightning. The attack struck what Kakashi thought was his chest, but instead, all that he found was a clone of ravens.

But before Kakashi could even look surprised, he watched the branches get blasted wide open and heard Naruto's voice.

"Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga!"

The same move Kakashi just used was shot right back at the copy ninja, who barely was able to leap up into the air to dodge it.

'Right, sharingan eyes...' Kakashi thought, the wolf beneath him smashing into the ground while his red eye met Naruto's blue ones in a stare. 'So that's how everyone else feels about their moves getting stolen... but what's up with him, he's never been so serious before.'

Naruto lunged off the tree branch he was standing on, a kunai in his hand. He planned to drive the kunai straight through Kakashi, fighting as if he was fighting an enemy of Konoha like he was ordered to.

Something that again caught Kakashi by surprise. Every time a genin was told to come in with intention to kill, they always failed to do so. Yet Naruto appeared to be more than willing to run a kunai through Kakashi at the moment.

Kakashi caught Naruto's extended hand by the wrist to protect himself, the small blade inches away from his sharingan. While they fell back down to earth, Kakashi planted both feet right into Naruto's sternum, driving the wind out of the genin's lungs while throwing Naruto at the same tree he lunged off of.

The jinchuriki flipped in the air landing softly on the thick oak tree, a light aura of chakra emitting from his hands and feet as he stuck to the tree bark. He watched as gravity sent Kakashi back down to earth, the copy nin's sharingan eye staring right into his again.

'The intensity in his eyes... It's hard to believe he's the same person as the kid that risked his life in Wave for us.' He thought. Seeing Naruto's sharingan was unlike anything else. It was only in the first stage, unable to do the same things as Itachi's sharingan, yet Naruto just held an edge in them. They were both intimidating and entrancing to see.

'I wonder though... genjutsu was your weakness before, it likely still is to a degree.' Kakashi decided, casting a light genjutsu to test his theory.

Kakashi looked up at Naruto, expecting him to continue to fight without missing a beat, yet the blond was hesitant to rush him this time around. 'Did he notice the genjutsu?' Kakashi wondered briefly.

"Kai." Naruto said softly, dispelling it with a flickering thought. Such a basic genjutsu, something that not two months ago he had no chance at detecting let alone escaping.

Naruto's face remained stoic for a moment, before he let a smirk cross his face. "I was the student under Uchiha Itachi, you know. He's sort of made a name for himself off of genjutsu." As he spoke, he began to stand up while sticking to the tree with his feet.

Kakashi chuckled. He wasn't quite as serious as Kakashi initially thought. "I guess you were, huh?"

Naruto face hardened lunged down with an axe kick, though Kakashi moved out of the way of the attack, letting Naruto's foot smash into the ground where he once stood, kicking up tree leaves at the raw speed.

As Naruto got up and faced Kakashi, he noted that Kakashi's posture was relaxed and grew confused. Why was Kakashi relaxed? They were in the middle of a fight, the absolute last place you want to relax.

"I was right about your eyes though, wasn't I?" Kakashi continued, his voice getting serious but his stance remaining the same. "You're at least chunin level, I'll give you that. But you're still not up with me. Not even close."

"What-" Naruto's question was interrupted with Kakashi all but teleporting in front of him, barely even a blur for Naruto's eyes to follow before getting backhanded across the cheek with enough force to knock Naruto clear off his feet.

The scarred genin was sprawled over the ground, a tree root coming up like a fist into the small of his back upon landing. For well over a minute, Naruto felt like he couldn't breath with the wood hitting him like a nail.

The copy ninja all but appeared in front of him, sending his fist down at Naruto's face like it was shot from a cannon to knock the jinchuriki out cold.

However, yet again Naruto managed to escape, this time covering himself in a poof of smoke at the last second, and letting Kakashi's fist go through a board.

Kakashi retracted his fist, his eyes surveying the terrain to find Naruto. 'He's elusive, second time he managed to escape.' He thought, his sharingan looking around for Naruto.

Naruto however didn't go far, leaping out of a tree directly overhead in a sharp downturn.

"Feidotu Burraku!"

Naruto smashed his elbow down onto Kakashi's skull, catching him well off guard. The jinchuriki drove Kakashi face first into the ground with his elbow, landing on his feet in a crouch above the copy ninja.

Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke, making Naruto do a double take. "You can't do that, that's my thing!" Naruto seethed.

"That was a decent tactic you used." Kakashi spoke, yet Naruto couldn't pinpoint the source of his voice.

The jinchuriki continued looking around, saying aloud. "No one ever bothers to look up."

Kakashi chuckled, but a second after the statement left Naruto's lips, he was blocking a powerful kick to the side of his head with his arms.

Unfortunately for the genin, the kick was still strong enough to launch him straight for a tree, hitting it with a hard thud.

Naruto growled inwardly, glaring up at Kakashi. He watched Kakashi going through hand seals, his eyes copying the motions.

"Fūton: Ookami Houkou." Kakashi shot out a compressed ball of air at Naruto, similar to an air bullet, but there was something a little more alarming about it. Instead of a simple lance like ball, this was shaped into the face of a snarling Wolf, which gave out an ear splitting howl as it rocketed towards Naruto.

Naruto winced when he heard the roar, the term earsplitting having never been more literal. He felt his ears pop in his skull and had to cover them with his hands. He dropped down onto one knee, but when he looked up, he was about to get blasted straight through the tree.

Kakashi watched as the wolf's head collided right with the tree, blowing it and several others into nothing but splinters. He narrowed his eyes, noting that he didn't hit Naruto. If he did, there would've been a cry of pain.

Kakashi almost let out a groan of exasperation as he scanned the terrain once again. 'This is the third time he's pull this... I'm losing my touch.'

However, unlike the times before, he couldn't find Naruto at all. He spent three entire minutes looking for the Uzumaki, and in a timed test with only around ten minutes left to go, that was an awfully long time.

When he finally found Naruto, Kakashi was at yet a different end of the forest, much closer to the crowd yet still well out of their site. The river towards the entrance of the field cut through here, splitting the land into two pieces of forestry.

However, it was where Kakashi found Naruto that left him curious. The genin was currently using Chakra to stand on the water with a relaxed posture, showing Kakashi that Naruto had included acute chakra control to his regime under Itachi.

"Alright Naruto, you brought me here." Kakashi said. "Do you have a Suiton move you want to use on me?"

Naruto said nothing, only smiling. His eyes continued stare up at the last student of the Yondaime Hokage, before he went through a series of hand seals.

Kakashi was confused, because in honesty he was expecting Naruto's seals to be for a water jutsu, but instead he watched Naruto do the familiar fire jutsu that seemed to act as a go to for him.

"Katon: Karyū Endan no jutsu." A dragon formed around Naruto, but this time it did not coil around him but seemed to circle directly above the water. Steam formed in the air, beginning to shroud the river but not doing much to hide Naruto.

The dragon flew for Kakashi to flay him alive, while the copy ninja countered Naruto's attack with a defensive move.

"Doton: Chikyuu hinan Sho."

A thick dome of earth surrounded Kakashi, the dragon smashing straight into the earth towards where Kakashi Hatake should have been standing.

When the dust cleared, the dome was in shambles, pieces chipped off and parts broken away. It completely fell apart after the blast, showing Kakashi was unscathed.

However, the copy ninja when he noticed that the steam had turned into a near fog-like blanket of gray, this time doing much more to hinder his vision.

"Suiton: Suidan no jutsu."

Kakashi turned to the side just in time to get hit in the side by a torrent of water, blasting him straight back into a tree and knocking him into a daze.

While hidden in the mist that was rolling off the river, Naruto stood still for a moment, panting like a dog. 'That took a lot out of me.' he thought, his hands resting on his knees. 'I need to practice using Suiton a lot more, because that took way to much chakra for something that wasn't too high of a rank... and even then it came out a lot weaker than any of my wind or fire jutsu. Not having an affinity for a move sucks.'

**"You do know that with the sharingan, you don't really need to worry to much about affinities."** The Kyuubi said in the contours of Naruto's mind. **"You had zero natural talent with earth or lightning, yet now you have added both to your skill set as well as picked up a powerful wind jutsu in the span of seven minutes, three of those you spent setting this trap."**

Naruto watched as the foggy mist evaporated around him yet Kakashi was no where to be seen. 'I still need to train in using it. Besides, wording it like that almost makes me feel like a thief.' he replied.

The Kyuubi snorted. Naruto hadn't picked on that his eyes were meant to do exactly that. **"Uchiha _are _thieves. It's one of the reason they were once so feared, because they can turn your greatest strength into just another piece of their arsenal, while outside of battle it could copy handwriting and the sorts. It sharpens your sense of sight and your reflexes. It can also have other powers for other Uchiha, such as paralysis by intimidation, forced sleep, teleportation, and elite genjutsu and ninjutsu attacks at the next stage of a sharingan eye."**

Naruto had heard about those. But he wasn't certain he could unlock it, with his eyes being different from the norm. 'But still, it's almost an unfair advantage for me, I have a ninjutsu specialist for a sensei!'

The Kyuubi smirked behind the doors of its cage. **"It would be unfair, if you weren't best suited for an up close and personal type of approach to combat, such as Itachi whenever he can't land his opponent in a genjutsu. However, there are still some moves that you cannot copy, such as your father's Rasengan."**

'I still remember how to learn a jutsu,' Naruto said back, still excited about learning the move from Kakashi later. 'I had to learn almost my entire arsenal in the span of a few months so that I wouldn't rely to much on a my clones.'

The fox just up and started laughing out of the blue, which was a little more than a nuisance for Naruto in the middle of a fight. **"Knowing the Author, he's going to pick something corny like the Orange Streak of Konoha as your nickname in future bingo books but it should be Arsenal. It's actually a cool name!" **

'...What?' Naruto finally asked, sweat dropping. 'What the hell does that even mean you big furball?'

The fox didn't reply.

Naruto mentally shrugged and returned his full focus on the fight at hand. He still couldn't see Kakashi anywhere, eventually being forced to return to the land to search for the copy ninja.

'This isn't a trap if I've ever seen one.' He thought dryly, cautiously stepping onto the forest floor.

However, the moment his foot touched the ground, a hand erupted through the earth to grab his ankle.

Naruto jumped up and out of the way, Kakashi emerging directly where he was about to step. While Naruto landed back on the water, Kakashi was now standing at the edge of the river in a battle stance.

The copy ninja's natural instinct was to attack on Naruto on a larger scale with ninjutsu, but he chose to remain more defensive to see what else Naruto could do.

He watched Naruto going through hand seals before the blond brought his hands to his mouth.

"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku no jutsu!"

Naruto shot small spiraling balls at Kakashi, who darted to the left in an effort to dodge them. Naruto kept shooting at Kakashi, forcing the copy ninja to run in circles on and off of the river and around Naruto.

'Alright, enough of this.' Kakashi thought, disappearing in a poof of smoke reminisce of one of Naruto's favorite tactics. He reappeared right in front of Naruto, his fist about to collide with the jinchuriki's jaw.

Naruto barely was able to get his head out of the way, his arm swatting Kakashi's fist to the side before he spun around from the momentum, and he tried to hit Kakashi with a backfist.

Kakashi blocked the hit easily, his left hand crashing into Naruto's kidney which made the Jinchuriki arch his back in pain.

The copy ninja continued his attack, moving his other arm from it's spot blocking Naruto's attack and hitting Naruto right under the chin with his elbow.

Naruto was sent through the air, though he managed to land on his feet by catching himself in a hand stand. He flipped back onto the land safely, rubbing his jaw.

When Naruto picked his head up to look back at Kakashi, he saw the copy ninja about to hit him with a lariat. Naruto hit the ground and let Kakashi's arm sail harmlessly over his head, before he tried a quick snap kick that would kill a civilian on Kakashi, aimed for the jonin's jaw.

While the blow would've knocked Kakashi for a loop if it landed, Kakashi was able to dodge it by taking a step back and leaning his head towards the sky.

Naruto was left open though, spinning around from the momentum of the missed kick. Kakashi aimed his fist into the center of Naruto's back, which drove Naruto up into the air.

Where he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Oh come on!" Kakashi let out, frustrated beyond belief how many times Naruto had done this same tactic, and how many times _it actually worked. _"I thought you were trying to take the bells off me, not run from me!"

"I am going for the bells."

Kakashi turned around to the river, and found not one but ten Naruto's standing in a half circle around him, going through hand seals.

The copy ninja paused for but a moment to note that nine of the clones were soaking wet, which not only gave away which one was real, but where he hid them.

"Fūton: Ookami Houkou!" They all performed this technique, with a few aimed at his chest, another few above his head, a few more to his left, a few to his right, and the last bit at his feet.

Essentially, Naruto was guaranteed to hit Kakashi.

"Gah!" Kakashi put his arms over his chest, getting blasted straight back into the woods and crashing through a tree. The ground where he stood was torn straight through, leaving a scar on the land.

'Note to self. Stop showing Naruto my ninjutsu.' Kakashi thought, groaning and dusting off his flak jacket. That's the second time Naruto had turned Kakashi's own attack right back on him, and damn they _hurt. _

As soon as Kakashi stood up, he had to defend himself from a barrage of punches and kicks by the clones. He was easily dodged every attack, seeing them coming an instant before they were thrown.

However, trying to land a counter was another story. Naruto's own sharingan was active with his clones as well, and unlike Kakashi, Naruto body could withstand using it for an extended period of time before getting winded.

Thus they were at an impasse. Kakashi was mostly playing defense or fighting punching bag, while Naruto was fighting almost strictly to get the bells.

The copy ninja again took notice that there were only nine Narutos around him, all soaking wet. Kakashi smirked beneath his mask, realizing they were all clones.

He kicked the closest clone away, going through hand seals in but a second before slamming his palms down on the ground.

"Raiton: Jibashi no jutsu!" Lightning pulsed through Kakashi's hands and traveled on top of the soaked grass. When it reached the first clone's ankles, it immediately turned into lightning filled smoke, a feint blue outline of Naruto's body still flickering in the air moments after the lightning pulsed through his body.

The other clones were defeated that same moment, disappearing in a poof of smoke. Kakashi frowned when he saw that Naruto again escaped him.

In all honesty, Kakashi was beginning to think Naruto wasn't even trying to win and just milking out jutsu from Kakashi. What was this, the third one he's been able to copy already?

Naruto had been watching his clones fight while using his chakra to stick to a tree a safe distance away. He glanced up at the sky, so that the Kyuubi could tell him how much time he had left.

**"six minutes, brat. Time to kick yourself into a higher gear." **The fox said. He frowned in his cage when he saw Naruto hesitate, a feeling of doubt starting to creep into him that he should just flee. **"I know you're not going to run Uzumaki Naruto. Prove your worth as a man here and now, or I will plague your sleep for a week with dreams of the Ichiraku's going out of business."**

That got the reaction he was looking for. Naruto's face hardened while his jaw clenched, and the vessel lunged off the tree so hard that the chakra on his feet made the bark explode on the tree, large dents forming in the wood.

Kakashi's eyes snapped up upon hearing the bark break above his head, able to see Naruto's fist aimed at his head. He blocked the attack deftly with his arm, a gust of wind forming when Naruto's fist connected. Using his free hand, Kakashi aimed a punch at the airborne Jinchuriki.

The attack hit him in the center of his stomach and driving the wind from his lungs. Naruto flew back into the same tree he stuck too earlier, catching himself before face planting by putting chakra on his hands.

'He's well versed in such a simple skill.' Kakashi thought appraisingly, watching Naruto let himself land on his fee. 'Earlier, he was able to incorporate it into his fighting style. I wonder if I could teach him how to use that tactic more effectively.'

**"Five minutes. It's now or never brat." **Naruto heard the fox say to him, and he stared at Kakashi, sky blue eyes seeming to burrow straight towards the copy ninja's soul. Naruto was aware of how little the time was that remain, as was Kakashi.

"Alright sensei, I'll give you round one." Naruto said, noting that none of his attacks seemed to actually hurt Kakashi while Kakashi had nearly knocked him out on every attack. He slipped back into his stance, letting Kakashi do the same.

"But now, it's time for round two."

* * *

Itachi tightened his grip on his katana as he stared down Sasori of the Red Sands, or more precisely one of Sasori's many puppets, Hiruko. The scorpion like puppet was as intimidating as usual, like a lion glaring at you from five feet away.

Only the Lion had a turtle shell on its back and a long scorpion tail while hiding a man inside it.

Oh, and it could shoot out capsules of lethal gas and at the same time, hundreds of razor thin needles at a time in rapid succession. If that wasn't overkill, each and every needle was covered in a poison that rendered a man paralyzed for three days before effectively killing them.

Yeah, totally a lion.

Itachi couldn't use genjutsu on Sasori. It was odd, but somehow, the puppet Sasori hid in prevented him from using it.

'He prepared for this encounter... I knew I should've attacked them sooner.' Itachi thought. He disliked the alternative methods he had at fighting, being a man who simply wanted to end a fight with as little bloodshed as possible. He made a single one handed seal, and attacked.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

A large fireball was blasted at Sasori, who did nothing to avoid the attack. The fire consumed him completely, an attack that should've easily destroyed Hiruko along with Sasori.

Yet when the smoke cleared moments after, Sasori was completely unharmed inside Hiruko, while the puppet itself had not one mark on it aside from the loss of its Akatsuki cloak.

Sasori chuckled inside Hiruko. "I've made some modifications since the last time we saw each other Itachi. Let's see how long you can last."

The puppet swiped at Itachi with it's scorpion like tail, aiming to decapitate the Raven of the Uchiha.

Itachi held his katana up and blocked the swipe, shoving the chain-like blade away before it could wrap around his own weapon. He shifted his grip on his katana before put his foot right into Hiruko's face, shoving it back whilst flipping backwards to provide some space between them.

"Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu." Itachi fired several balls of flame at Sasori in a circle. This time, the attacks did a little damage, slight charring at the edges of Hiruko's arms.

Sasori chuckled darkly inside his puppet, a noise that chilled Itachi. None of his attacks to this point had proven effective in the slightest, while Sasori had yet to really even begin to fight back.

The puppeteer must've sensed Itachi's plight, his laughter growing louder. "Tell me Itachi, are you certain you want to try to do this? You can always run away." He said, his tail waving towards the steps behind Itachi.

Itachi glared at Sasori. "You'd kill me before I made it to the stairs." He said back. While he was admittedly nervous, running away was not only cowardly but foolish.

Besides, fortunes favor the bold.

"I'm curious though... who said anything about wanting to run away Sasori?" Itachi asked challengingly. "Having doubts in yourself are we?"

The puppeteer's voice lost its mirth. "No. I simply wouldn't want to ruin those eyes of yours... be a shame to turn the great Uchiha Itachi into a puppet without them."

Itachi smirked back coyly. "Just like it's a shame that Sasori of the Red Sands spends his days playing with dolls?"

Though it was through Hiruko, Itachi could practically _taste _the utter rage coming out of Sasori's eyes. "They are _puppets!_" He roared, Hiruko's tail coming down at Itachi's head to resume the battle.

Itachi rolled out of the way, the tail shattering the earth where Itachi once stood. Itachi stood up quickly, seeing Hiruko opened its mouth before shooting out a capsule at Itachi, letting it hit the ground a few feet in front of the Raven. Almost instantly there was purple smoke surrounded Itachi.

'Poison.' Itachi thought, holding his breath. Knowing of Sasori's affinity for crafting them, Itachi was positive that there was poison in the gas.

Itachi was forced to hold his breath for a solid minute, holding still and using this as a chance to take a break. The smoke finally started to clear, and in another thirty seconds, it should dissipate harmlessly and Itachi could breathe again.

"Oh no you don't." Sasori chuckled inside Hiruko. Again, the puppet opened its mouth and fired off a bushel of needles, all coated in poison. He fired directly into the mist, thinking that Itachi couldn't see him.

And he thought correctly. The thick purple smoke while dissipating, was still thick enough to prevent even his sharingan from seeing through it too much.

However, Itachi still had other senses. He hit the floor to prevent himself from getting impaled, rolling to his left behind a marble column, which was still enveloped in the poisonous smoke. He made a few hand seals before bringing his hand to his mouth and exhaling the miniscule breath still in his lungs as a last resort.

"Fūton: Daitoppa no jutsu!"

The poisonous gas was blown away instantly from the gust of wind, letting Itachi slump forward and gulped down the fresh air into his burning lungs.

While he wasted those few moments, Sasori was not standing idly by. The puppet master's mouth curled into a smile beneath Hiruko, and he darted towards the marble column and tried to wrap his tail around it to slice Itachi to bits.

Itachi's eyes widened before he placed his free hand above his head and channeled chakra through it, making it sticky. He flipped up into a crouch on the column as the tail wrapped around it to squeeze the life out of him, utterly shattering the column into millions of pieces.

Itachi jumped off the falling marble and threw a kunai at Hiruko's face as a way to buy himself space.

The blade bounced off harmlessly, only able to chip away a substantial portion of the face mask but revealing the shiny silver color of metal underneath.

Itachi landed on his back in a backwards summersault up to his feet. 'That's not normal metal.' He thought, seeing a feint bluish hue to it, something that in firelight shouldn't be visible. 'That's made of the same metal used to make Chakra weapons. It's also good for blocking genjutsu attacks, and is incredibly resistant to elemental attacks.'

Sasori saw Itachi narrowing his eyes, chuckling silently. "So you already were able to figure out some of my modifications... no matter, I just need to be delicate about how I kill you... don't want to ruin your eyes before I add you to my collection."

Itachi tensed, now knowing that his usual moves wouldn't do much of anything to this puppet now, which made him contemplate activating his Mangekyō for Amaterasu, or even for his Susanoo.

'I can't engage it up close, I'd be nothing but diced meat unless I can find a way to actually break down his armor.' He thought, but he still thought against activating his mangekyō. 'The Susanoo wears out the user if they use it for too long, it's too risky right now... but If I can hit him with the Amaterasu, I'd be able to end the fight relatively quickly! No... that's too risky too. If he manages to get out of his puppet and has another weapon waiting to use on me, I'd be a sitting duck.'

So in short, he didn't have many options. Most of his jutsu were Fire style, though he did throw in water, wind and lightning for a bit of a mix, but lightning would likely prove to have the same effect as fire and there isn't a source of water he could use down here for a move above D rank.

'I could try _that _jutsu... but no, it's not ready. I haven't perfected it yet. It's liable to blow my arm off if it back fires.' He thought again failing to come up with a solution.

Sasori smirked inside Hiruko, seeing Itachi's expression resemble a cornered rat. "What's the matter Itachi, already backed into a corner?" He mocked.

'Ninjutsu will have to work for the moment... I'll just have to kick it up a notch.' Itachi decided, going through hand seals once more.

"Katon: Karyū Endan no jutsu."

A dragon of fire formed around Itachi, snarling down at the Sasori inside Hiruko before Itachi before it rammed straight into Sasori's puppet.

Unlike the fireball, this was a much more powerful attack, one that nearly smashed through the tortoise shell atop Sasori's back. It chipped the wood and metal away until it was all but broken, but it didn't breach through the armor-like puppet around Sasori completely.

"I don't know Sasori, are you sure you're not the one in the corner?" Itachi smirked, seeing the puppet almost in shambles. He charged forward again, hoping to break Hiruko open and force Sasori out.

He struck at the puppet's face out of basic instinct of 'hit the bad guy in the face', watching its arm come up and let the blade collide with it. With a loud clang, the wood beneath the blade was cut straight through to reveal the metal layer beneath, just as it was with the face and the shell of the puppet.

'I should aim for the shoulders.' Itachi thought, his blood red eyes flickering to the rolling balls attaching the arm to the torso. 'If I can render its arms useless, I could smash this puppet easily.'

However, this proved to be easier said than done. Sasori saw Itachi's sharingan eyes analyzing the best areas to attack, and sent his tail straight for Itachi's head like a spear.

Itachi brought his sword up and braced his free hand against the flat of the blade. He let the razor sharp point of Hiruko's tail smash right into it, sending sparks through the air between them. Hiruko, being stronger, was able to push Itachi back and drag the Uchiha's feet across the floor.

Itachi was finally able to shove Hiruko's tail to the side and began to charge forward, but again Hiruko's reach advantage played its part as Itachi was forced to raise his katana once again to deflect Hiruko's tail.

The Uchiha pushed the attack away, but all Sasori did to counter was swing it around and try to bash into his other side. Itachi was forced to spin around and block with his katana once again, exposing his back to Sasori.

He heard a clicking sound before turning his head around. He saw Hiruko's mouth was open once again, and dozens upon dozens of needles shot at Itachi from neigh point blank, all gleaming in the dim lighting and coated in poison.

'A single scratch and I am as good as dead.' Itachi thought, shoving Hiruko's tail away once again, though this time he spun around from the momentum and leapt into the air like a cyclone.

He was still spinning in the air as he used a single hand seal.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

He brought his hand to his lips as a fireball burst to life. However, instead of aiming directly for the puppet, Itachi was aiming at the needles that were flying directly where his exposed back had been a moment prior.

He landed on his feet a moment later, flames still licking the ground between Sasori and Itachi. He narrowed his eyes at the puppet in front of him, glancing back behind him.

The thick door to Pein's study had not opened since the start of the fight. Surely, he could hear the sounds of combat had he been inside. Yet... there was no sign of the S-ranked shinobi that was even more powerful than Itachi.

Itachi was brought out of his thoughts when Hiruko attacked again, lifting his bulkier left arm. Clicking sounds were heard before missile-like capsules poked out of his arm.

They launched at Itachi, who heard a feint hissing noise.

It was too late before Itachi realized what was about to occur, and before he could try to dodge the attack, the capsules exploded in a blast of fire and smoke.

'Got him...' Sasori grinned, before it fell. 'what's this?' Sasori narrowed his eyes in confusion upon seeing Itachi still standing, missing his arms and his clothes almost evaporated, yet he Uchiha had a blank look on his face, as if he hadn't just got blown up.

However, when a raven popped out of his mouth bearing sharingan eyes, Sasori's eyes went wider than dinner plates. Itachi's body exploded into a flock of crows that flew right overhead of the puppeteer and his puppet.

The next thing that Sasori knew, Hiruko's left arm was clattering on the ground. "Karasu no Taron" was the phrase he heard, finding Itachi was in his blind spot, his foot extended into the joint where his arm met his shoulder.

If not for the red robe he was wearing beneath Hiruko, that would've been the first time anyone had seen his person in the last twenty years.

Gritting his teeth, Sasori sent Hiruko's tail to swat at Itachi once again, but the Uchiha simply leapt backwards and out of the way.

'Now I have something I can exploit.' Itachi thought with a grin, though it faded upon Sasori's shell seem to open up, a large metal tube coming up above his head. The tube was aimed for the center of his chest, gears whirring until it was locked in place. His frown turned into a look of utter dread as he heard a clicking noise.

"Now..." Sasori mumbled, before he screamed at Itachi in utter insanity "you DIE!"

A loud banging noise filling Itachi's ears. A cannonball launched through the air at him, rapidly moving closer to him to tear through his body.

Itachi couldn't dodge it, he was certain of this. A red-hot piece of metal flying at him fast enough for a normal pair of eyes not to be able to see, even he would get grazed if he tried to dodge it.

And losing an arm would just be a slower death than letting it hit him in the chest.

Fortunately for Itachi, he was well adept in ninjutsu.

"Doton: Doryūhek no jutsu." Itachi placed his hands on the ground, but instead of the wall forming in front of him, it formed beneath his hands. It elevated him about ten feet into the air before the cannonball collided with it, shattering it into fragments.

While he was airborne, Itachi went through more hand seals, aiming for the cannon. He aimed to end the puppet along with its master once and for all with this attack, because if this didn't at least put the cannon out of commission, he was doomed.

"Katon: Gōka Messhitsu no jutsu!"

This was no ordinary jutsu, setting a ball of flame on Sasori to explode on the puppet master. Oh no, this was a steady stream of flame as if breathed from a dragon itself. The marble floor seemed to melt between the puppeteer and Itachi, the entire room was illuminated as if like the sun was directly overhead.

The attack hit, managing to not only melt the cannon itself, but it also shattered the tortoise shell beneath it. The hole made by the missing limb seemed to weaken the rest of the side, causing it to shatter under the stress of the attack as well.

A blur wearing a red cloak darted out the side of the puppet before Hiruko completely imploded. There were several burns and tears in the cloth, especially the now nonexistent hood area.

Sasori's exposed shoulders were a deathly pale, completely unhealthy like he had never seen the light of day. His hair was a deep red, though it was completely natural. If Itachi wasn't in a life and death fight with one of the more skilled members of the Akatsuki, then he would've described Sasori as a can of mayonnaise with ketchup on top in terms of appearance.

But Sasori wouldn't let the Uchiha see his face.

"You can't fight me with your back turned to me Sasori." Itachi said blankly, his grip on his katana shifting again.

Sasori sighed, stripping off the ruined red cloak before discarding it. He had hoped not to snap his streak of keeping his face hidden from his enemies, but it appeared that record was set to fall. He wore no shirt beneath his cloak, his black pants coming up to his waist. "I suppose not... but it has been such a long time..."

The puppet master turned around, and instead of seeing a fifty something year old man, Itachi saw someone who could've passed for younger than himself. A large cylinder stuck out of his chest, thumping oddly.

Rather than gap at Sasori, Itachi took it all in stride. 'I've seen weirder things.'

Sasori grinned like a maniac while pulled out a sealing scroll, before proceeding to open it.

And out popped another puppet.

Itachi paled as a cold lump formed in his throat. "Is that...?"

"Since I had to use this." Sasori finished his exclamation with a wicked smile on his face, the body of the third Kazekage of Suna popping to life in front of him.

* * *

Naruto loved the pressure. He felt the weight of his whole future on his back right now, and he absolutely loved it. He only had five minutes to pass this test, to grab the bells off of Kakashi's waist. And he was confident he would succeed.

"Round two it is Naruto," Kakashi acknowledged the jinchuriki's previous statement. "Bring it."

Naruto smirked as sprinted at Kakashi at blinding speed, Orange streaks the forming behind him from his movements.

Kakashi leaned his head left and right over and over again to avoid Naruto's attacks, each punch narrowly missing their mark by a hair.

This went on for well over thirty seconds, until the copy ninja caught Naruto's next punch by the wrist before yanking Naruto closer to him and clobbering the boy in the face with a heavy right hand.

Naruto was sent sprawling back, that punch hitting harder than any other that Kakashi had thrown prior. He wiped his mouth and rushed back at Kakashi without a second's hesitation.

'His persistence would do a lot more than annoy most other opponents.' Kakashi thought, seeing a bruise forming where his fist had struck Naruto's face. 'By the time the test was over, that bruise should fade thanks to the nine tails.'

The copy ninja caught Naruto's fist again and slugged him in the mouth, reminiscent of what he had just done to Naruto moments prior. This time though, after Naruto got up to his feet he didn't charge in head first right off the bat.

'I gotta stop holding back...' Naruto thought, channeling his chakra to the seals on his to the gravity seals on his arms and legs 'Kai!' The weights turned off, and Naruto smirked confidently and shot at Kakashi again, though this time the copy ninja noticed a rather large burst in speed.

'He just took off the gravity seals.' Kakashi realized, going to catch Naruto's fist but this time not reacting fast enough. The punch stung, but it didn't send him stumbling back.

He brushed off the punch and blocked Naruto's next attacks with his arms, before aiming a kick for Naruto's sternum. Kakashi was surprised when Naruto managed to catch his foot with one hand and spin Kakashi around to expose his back.

Kakashi felt Naruto's fist hit his back, and again though it stung it didn't knock him back or make him stumble. Naruto's legs might've been accustomed to the heavy regiment of weights and thus reaped the benefits, but he had only had weights on his arms for less than a day now.

'In all honesty, his arms are weaker than normal because they're just bone tired. He probably slept with the weights on too.' Kakashi continued to spin until he was facing Naruto again, crossing his fist into Naruto's face once again, though this attack was only the first from Kakashi.

Naruto's head snapped down toward the ground, leaving an opening for Kakashi's other hand to hit him in the nose in the form of an uppercut, knocking the boy airborne.

Kakashi then spun on his heel and delivered an utterly devastating kick into Naruto's stomach, forcing the boy to vomit blood.

'Can't... breathe...' Naruto's face seemed to be permanently gasping for breath, yet not able to get any air. His body felt like shattered glass, unable to even move as Kakashi's foot held him suspended in the air.

Kakashi removed his foot from Naruto's stomach, letting the jinchuriki drop down to his hands and knees. He watched as Naruto coughed more blood onto the ground, still gasping for air.

Blood began to run down the left corner of Naruto's nose, along with both sides of his mouth. He couldn't even move to defend himself from the swift kick to the face he received from Kakashi, launching him back into a tree.

Naruto groaned. He had double vision, seeing two Kakashis walking towards him almost as if he was a predator stalking his prey. Shaking his head, Naruto pushed himself up to his feet, which again proved to Kakashi how high his drive was. The copy ninja gave a soft smile of pride, though from Naruto's perspective his face remained unchanged behind the mask.

'You inherited your mother's stubbornness.' He thought, watching Naruto wipe the blood off his face with his currently sleeveless arm.

Naruto went through hand seals, his face hardening into a look of determination. 'I am going to get those bells... even if I get put in a hospital for them.'

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu." Naruto growled out, letting a dozen clones pop to life around him. They circled Kakashi, inching closer and closer before they all finally pulled out their kunai and charged.

Kakashi ducked and weaved out of the way of their attacks, backhanding or kicking any clone that gave him an opening. Compared to the army Naruto could normally summon in a battle, he found the ten clones not to be much of a challenge.

However, upon landing a solid punch into the face of what he thought was the last clone, he was surprised when Naruto hit the ground hard and didn't dispel.

'What?' Kakashi heard a hissing sound behind him, and turned around to face it.

What he saw was one of Naruto's more reckless ideas. And considering that Naruto thought a kamikaze attack through a dragon made of fire was a good idea, that was saying something.

A clone of Naruto was about to punch him square in the face. That part was perfectly normal, Kakashi would've been surprised if Naruto wasn't trying to hit him.

The dangerous part was what was slapped on his hand. It was basic, and honestly it was kind of sloppy, but it showed a small degree of knowledge in Fuuinjutsu. Regardless of how basic the knowledge it was, it was lethal none the less.

Mostly because it was an explosive tag.

Naruto's fist collided with Kakashi's face in a haymaker punch, though before the explosion that followed, the clone of Naruto felt his hand crashing through a log of wood.

The clone harmlessly self-destructed, to which Naruto cursed under his breath as he stood. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Kakashi's foot sailing straight for his head.

Naruto let himself fall forward to avoid the attack, and tried to sweep out Kakashi's legs. However, the copy ninja just gave a little hop, grabbing Naruto's extended left ankle in a clench.

"Ryouken no Kuishibaru." Kakashi twisted Naruto's ankle painfully, a sickening crunch filling Naruto's ears before unbridled pain coursed through his left leg and made him bite back a scream.

Kakashi knew it was harsh, but this test had already exceeded any expectation he could've set for team seven, and it all but ended fifteen ago, back when Naruto decided to engage him one on one.

This was now a test to see exactly what Naruto's limitations were, to see just how far he was willing to go to win. That included how high his pain tolerance was.

Using his good leg, Naruto pushed Kakashi off of him before rolling up onto his feet. He winced when he put weight on his ankle, but he was able to ignore the flaring pain thanks to an adrenaline rush.

'Hey fox, you want to help me out on the broken ankle?' Naruto asked mentally, still biting back his urge to yell out in pain.

The fox gave a snort. **"I'm a little busy fixing the lung your rib went through when Hatake nearly made your chest cavity collapse with that kick. You'll have to live with the ankle injury for a little longer. By the way, I hate to tell you this, but you have just three minutes before noon."**

Naruto clenched his teeth as he bit back the urge to scream again, this time more out of frustration than pain.

"Three minutes Naruto, we both know you can't win in that amount of time. Give up, it's over." Kakashi's tone was not mocking, not arrogant, but honest. It was obvious now, at least to Kakashi, that Naruto had no chance to knock the bells off officially before time ran out.

If they started fighting maybe ten minutes earlier, it might've been an entirely different story of course, yet to Naruto, he still fully believed he could win.

"Too bad sensei. I'll fight to the bitter end." Naruto panted back as a reply, making Kakashi smirk.

Kakashi watched Naruto slip back into his stance, and did the same.

Naruto rushed at Kakashi, a failing tactic but the only one he really had. None of his ninjutsu had proven entirely effective, the attacks that did land did little more than knock Kakashi down.

Even the attacks that did hurt Kakashi, the copy ninja would get up and hit Naruto back just as fast and twice as hard. In taijutsu, Kakashi had broken his ankle, his ribs, and likely his nose and jaw. Naruto probably had a concussion too, he was feeling a tad light headed.

Naruto kept up his attack, throwing punch after punch, kick after kick. Nothing was more than a glancing blow to Kakashi, though every time his left foot hit Kakashi Naruto nearly buckled to the ground.

Kakashi ducked under the umpteenth attack aimed for Kakashi's head, and aimed a jab for the jinchuriki's stomach.

Naruto blocked the attack with his other arm, shoving it to the side before he tried to strike at Kakashi with an elbow strike to the crown.

"Feidotu Burraku!" The attak did next to nothing though, connecting with Kakashi but not enough momentum behind it to do more than momentarily delay Kakashi's next attack.

Kakashi rammed his own elbow into Naruto's cheek, the older shinobi sending Naruto stumbling back. The copy ninja didn't give Naruto any breathing room though, back on him and attacking him within a second.

Naruto blocked the punch aimed at his head, his good foot driving into the dirt. With his free hand, Naruto drove a fist right into Kakashi's chin.

It was more of a desperation attack, but it did the trick better than his previous one.

However, before Naruto could capitalize, Kakashi jabbed him in the ribs with the back of his hand, hunching the boy over slightly. Kakashi followed up with a right fist going across Naruto's face for the umpteenth time.

Stumbling from the attack, Naruto could only throw up his arms to block a kick to the other side of his face. His good foot was driven straight into the ground until there dirt was between his sandal and his heel, Naruto finally managed to shove Kakashi's leg back and try to hit Kakashi with a kick to the face from his bad ankle.

Kakashi leaned back, Naruto's foot just out of reach of his face. However, with a large reach advantage like Kakashi had over Naruto, he was able to land a solid punch right into Naruto's chin.

Naruto was forced to flip backwards to stay on his feet, though Kakashi again gave him no room. Though Naruto had proven he was fast, faster than any thirteen year old Kakashi had seen, in close range with Kakashi it meant little. The fox was already working overtime just to keep Naruto standing, a broken ankle would hinder Naruto's speed and agility greatly.

'Damn it.' Naruto thought, blocking another punch from Kakashi. 'I can't win like this, I need to be able to move around!'

**"Breathing is more important at the moment, what with a _halfway crushed chest cavity." _**The fox stressed the last part to get it through Naruto's head. Naruto noted that the fox sounded exhausted inside his mind, as if he was running a marathon. **"If it makes you feel better, it'll be healed in another three minutes or so."**

'I don't have three minutes.' Naruto shot back, ducking out of the way of a kick from his sensei. The jinchuriki threw a punch at Kakashi's face, but the copy ninja again just leaned back again, letting Naruto's fist fall short.

Kakashi rammed his knee up into Naruto's stomach, hunching the blond boy over before he brought his knee back up and hit him in the face.

Naruto was sent stumbling, finding himself backed against a tree. Kakashi was already on him yet again, his fist about to slam right into his face.

'This is the best opening I've had since he broke my ankle.' Naruto thought, putting his hands against the tree above his head. He channeled chakra through them, letting him stick to the bark on the tree.

Naruto pulled himself up out of the way of the punch, letting Kakashi slam his knuckles into the stump of an oak tree. Kakashi's sharingan eye followed the boy's movements, but his body wasn't fast enough to react to what he saw.

Like a dart, Naruto lunged straight for Kakashi, his fist smashing right into the jonin's face. Kakashi was forcibly thrown to the ground, while Naruto landed in a roll up to his feet behind him.

For a moment, Kakashi was unmoving. Naruto was about to shout to the sky he actually knocked out a jonin, his own sensei, when he saw Kakashi put his hands behind his head and flip himself back up to his feet with his back turned to Naruto.

Naruto groaned exasperatedly. "Why won't you just let me win this one damn it! Why can't you just fall down and say I landed a lucky shot! Come on!"

Kakashi chuckled mirthfully, turning around and looking at Naruto over his shoulder. "Because if I did that, it would mean that you actually managed to beat me. Sorry Naruto, but this fight is going to end right here."

The copy ninja disappeared in a cloud of smoke, making Naruto's eyes widen.

The Jinchuriki knew this trick, having performed it several times in this test alone, yet he was powerless to stop what was about to happen. The copy ninja's fist collided with Naruto's cheek from the side, hitting him with the force of a sledgehammer. If Naruto had looked over his shoulder, he would've seen the jonin standing in his blindspot, channeling chakra into his fist before crashing it into Naruto's face.

Naruto's vision was swimming, the world wouldn't stop spinning. Half his face was now buried in the dirt, his left eye staring right at the sun.

He had never been hit so hard in his entire life. It was that simple, not when Orochimaru had played around with him and inadvertently helped Naruto awaken his sharingan, not while Itachi tried to beat him senseless for him trying to fight Orochimaru, and certainly never before his ninja career. If he was going to be truthful, it felt like he got punched by Kami herself.

Kakashi was crouching over him. Time had expired as he pretty much knocked Naruto right into next year, noon finally having rolled around. Yet... Naruto didn't know that. "Is that all you got Naruto? I'm disappointed."

For a moment, a tense silence followed Kakashi's statement. The nine tailed fox openly gaped at Kakashi inside his cage, not believing what he was seeing. Was Kakashi actually goading Naruto into getting back up?

Naruto didn't move at first, his face still halfway buried in the ground. Then, Naruto pushed himself up to get his face out of the dirt. "I refuse..." He growled softly, barely above a whisper. He kept pushing himself up slowly, every muscle in his body feeling as if it was on fire.

_**'If I wasn't sealed in him, Naruto would've already passed out.' **_The fox grimaced. It was a curse and a blessing, his healing abilities. Mostly it was a blessing, because in truth the only way for Naruto to truly die with the fox sealed in him is if someone ripped him out, or decapitate the blond. However, it was also a curse, because Naruto could endure more punishment than most normal humans.

Naruto managed to push himself up to his hands and knees, lifting his head to look up at Kakashi. The copy ninja had a mask to hide his face and give nothing away. "I refuse to be beaten..." He growled again. The whiskers on his cheeks were darkening, but his eyes remained blue.

Kakashi eyed Naruto whilst taking a step back, patiently waiting to see what Naruto would do. He watched Naruto struggle up to his feet, a soft breeze blowing past his ear. Kakashi gave a smile upon hearing Naruto's voice fill the air in a defiant battle cry.

"I refuse to lose!"

* * *

Neji could not believe what he was seeing. As he gave the rest of the Konoha genin the play by play, he felt his respect for Naruto rising with every passing second. It was obvious that though the time was up, Naruto's absolute defiance of fate spark something in him.

At the beginning, he agreed with Hinata. Naruto was nothing but a desperate fool trying to defy fate in a feeble attempt. He was a loser, fated to be nothing more than just another body in Konoha's ranks. But as the fight went on, he saw that the gap between Naruto now and the one Neji perceived was as vast as the Valley of the End. Not only was Naruto fighting hard enough to was force Kakashi to actually try against him, a feet Neji was not sure he himself could do, but he was also still protecting his team.

With this in mind, he was positive that he wasn't the only one who felt his respect for Naruto rise. All the genin present were left in awe at what Neji described, though there were some who outright didn't believe him.

"There is no way Naruto is doing any of this." Kiba said with crossed arms, staring at the forest with a narrowed gaze. "Absolutely no way he is doing this." Akamaru yipped in agreement atop his head.

"And why can't he? Did you read the report of that mission in Wave?" Shikamaru asked without looking at Kiba. The shadow user was staring up at the clouds without a care in the world, lazily laying face first against the chain-link fence. "They had the legendary Hatake Kakashi with them, one of the strongest shinobi in all the elemental nations as well as the last living student of the fourth Hokage, and he was beaten one on one by Zabuza initially. If not for Naruto and Sasuke, Kakashi would be dead, and that was months ago. Why can't Naruto have improved since then?"

"Because he didn't even pass his genin exam properly." Kiba shrugged. "And in case you forgot, it was Naruto _and Sasuke _that saved Kakashi, and that was by luck."

"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed, closing his eyes while adjusting his face on the fence. " You don't see what Naruto did, do you?"

"What are you talking about Shikamaru?" Kiba snorted. "We can't see anything, genius."

"Not that. " Shikamaru shot an annoyed look over at the ninken user, muttering "It's too troublesome to explain to you Kiba, make Shino do it."

Kiba raised a brow and looked over at Shino. The bug user didn't look at him, or if he did Kiba couldn't see thanks to his glasses. "Naruto found a sensei while he was gone, Kiba." The bug user said to his teammate in a neutral tone. "It was obvious the moment he began using Elemental ninjutsu. Why? Because Naruto wasn't near that level before he left."

Ino tuned Kiba out from there, her thoughts running wild. With what Neji was describing, they all had learned a lot about Naruto. He hadn't given up yet, that wasn't really all that new, but what was new was that he was able to defend himself against arguably the top jonin in the entire village one on one, even if it was a losing battle. He was tough too, a lot tougher than she ever gave him credit for. Getting up after the punishment he had endured was impressive to say the least.

Yet there was one thing that bugged her. Neji said that Naruto was channeling chakra through his eyes, and then said Naruto was able to copy Kakashi's attacks. She was certain that she wasn't the only one to wonder on it, but that was almost exactly what a sharingan and was able to do. Naruto couldn't possibly have something like that, could he?

She remembered back to the conversation Team Ten had with him when he first returned, trying to figure it out.

_"You baka, where the hell have you been for two months! People thought you died and you come home and act like nothing happened!"_

_"Uh..." Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I was trying to find out about my family... since no one knew anything around here, I figured I could ask around elsewhere before I made it back home... I didn't think people would care that I was gone, sorry."_

_Ino was taken aback by that response, as was the rest of Team ten. It was hard for them to remember that Naruto never had anyone that cared about him, growing up in families full of cousins and uncles and the whole works._

_"I was also training though," he added quickly. "I met new people and learned new techniques. Who knows, maybe if my team works on working together, two of us'll pass the chunnin exam next months!"_

'Learned new techniques... there's no way he learned all those attacks and still make time to learn a new taijutsu style as well as get that fast.' She thought. 'What is he hiding?'

Fortunately, she had a genius for a teammate, albeit he was extremely lazy. "He did say to us that he met new people and learned new techniques, remember Shikamaru?" Ino looked over at the future Nara clan head for his input.

The shadow user glanced at her and nodded lazily, his eyes drifting up to the clouds out of habit. "He just didn't say who he met."

"My guess is that he met an S-rank ninja or someone like that." Tenten said, speaking for the first time almost all morning. "Because a chunin just doesn't have moves like that."

Shino pressed his glasses closer to his eyes. "The odds of him meeting an S-ranked shinobi are extremely low. However, given circumstance, an Argument could be made for it. Why? Because Naruto's rise in strength and speed could not be achieved without a proper teacher."

Kiba didn't speak, rolling his eyes at the impossibilities they were sprouting. It was an outrageous thought that Naruto met a S-rank ninja that not only was willing to teach him, but wasn't considered a traitor to his nation.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in thought at the notion. While the odds were low, Shino and Tenten were certainly right to consider that a possibility. However, there were only a select few that reached that status, and even less that wandered around the elemental countries.

'Okay, Naruto was unquestionably the weakest before he left in the eyes of many, and now it was hard not to already consider him Chunin level. He would've had to meet someone extremely strong, but even more patient if he was Naruto's sensei while he was under him. Naruto's still about as bright as a rock.' Shikamaru narrowed his eyes further in thought. 'Given that Naruto has shown he can use both fire and wind ninjutsu, His sensei obviously could as well. He still seemed to be a happy go lucky idiot, but he's not nearly as hyper as before. I don't know if he's still a loudmouth, chances are he still might be. But then he used a crow clone to escape an attack from what Neji said. That alone only points at...'

Shikamaru's eyes suddenly widened at that, the notion so out of this world he was almost certain he was wrong. But the foreboding taijutsu style, the ability to use both Katon and Suiton jutsu without having to copy them, the crow clones, and channeling chakra through his eyes in particular screamed otherwise.

Shikamaru glanced up at Asuma, who raised a brow back. He knew Shikamaru was trying to ask him a question, but he didn't know the answer to it.

The Nara looked back at the trees, realizing that not even his sensei knew the truth.

'Why did Uchiha Itachi train you, Naruto?'

* * *

"I refuse to lose!" Naruto screamed to the heavens, pushing off the ground and lunging at Kakashi with his good foot. He slammed his fist as hard as he could into Kakashi's jaw, a crack filling the air as the Jonin was blasted straight through a tree and back towards the river in the back of the training ground.

Kakashi groaned, rubbing his face. That punch might've actually dislocated his jaw. 'Was it a desperation attack or is there more to it?' He wondered, watching Naruto dart towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw a bird watching them both intently over Naruto's shoulder, an ordinary looking pigeon. Something was off about it though, a bird shouldn't have caught his eye in the middle of a fight.

Blocking the punch from Naruto, Kakashi sent his foot crashing into the Jinchuriki's hip.

Naruto rolled on his back, getting up to his feet and lunging at Kakashi in but a moment. Again, Naruto's punch was blocked, but this time, Naruto used that to his advantage. Channeling chakra through his hand, he yanked Kakashi closer to him, and clobbered the copy ninja in the face with his left fist.

Kakashi flipped from the momentum, landing atop the river. Naruto steeled himself and charged again, adrenaline pumping through him to dull the pain throughout his body. They engaged in yet another taijutsu battle, Kakashi blocking every attack Naruto used while Naruto did the same.

The Copy Ninja finally did manage to catch a punch in the chin from Naruto, who tried to follow up with another to Kakashi's stomach, but he found himself hitting nothing but air.

Kakashi leaned to the side, letting himself fall down and putting his hands on the water. The jonin did an impromptu cartwheel, kicking Naruto across the face.

Skidding across the river and to the other side of the shore, Naruto watched as Kakashi flip back up to his feet. He was weaving through hand seals before the jonin even got back onto his feet.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

Naruto breathed a ball of flame at Kakashi, steam forming beneath it from the river as it traveled across it towards Kakashi.

"Suiton: Suijinheki no jutsu." Kakashi countered, placing his hands on the river in front of him. A dome of water rose around him, forming a protective bubble.

The fireball hit the bubble, turning into nothing but steam. Kakashi let his guard down momentarily, thinking he had a chance to breathe.

Of course, he found out the hard way that he was mistaken, a fist crashed into his face and throwing him off the top of the water and through a tree.

Kakashi groaned, before ducking beneath a flying knee from Naruto. He rolled away from the tree as Naruto smashed into it, hitting it hard enough to crack the tree.

"I guess you're not interested in a ninjutsu battle?" Kakashi asked jokingly.

Naruto didn't reply, rushing again. He cocked his fist back as he charged, hoping to smash it into Kakashi's face.

That didn't happen.

Kakashi ducked under the punch, jabbing Naruto in his ginger ribs and cracking them all over again, the bones still on the mend from earlier. He followed up with another punch into Naruto's torso, hitting the boy right in the gut and hunching him over.

The copy ninja proceeded to try and drive his knee into Naruto's nose, but Naruto blocked the attack. Naruto rammed his head into Kakashi's stomach, trying to wrestle the jonin to the ground.

Instead, Kakashi shoved him off his leg and slam his other foot into Naruto's chest a tad harder than he probably should have. Naruto was absolutely _blasted _straight out of the woods, bouncing harshly off the ground multiple times yet somehow he didn't collide with a tree. When Naruto finally stopped flying, he crashed face down right in the front of the training ground and right back into the crowds view for the first time since they ran off into the woods.

'Damn you Kakashi...' Naruto thought, spitting the blood from his mouth and struggling up to his feet. He didn't dare look behind him with his sharingan active, still afraid of their reactions.

Kakashi shunshinned across from Naruto, a knowing look in his eyes. He had an advantage now, seeing Naruto roll still didn't want others to see his eyes.

And with his entire graduating class all watching, Naruto essentially had to fight with his back to a wall at all times.

From what the crowd could see from when he rolled up to his feet, blood was dripping down both corners of his mouth and down the left side of his nose. Bruises dotted his face and neck, and there were scratches all over his neck.

His hand seemed to be broken, he had another arm holding his ribs and his ankle was at an awkward angle, pointing his foot inwardly towards his other one. His right sleeve was missing from earlier, and they could see nasty bruises all over his forearm.

In short, he looked like crap.

"Kami..." Asuma murmured, seeing Naruto's battered form. He clenched his fist and stared on utterly flabbergasted at Hatake's brutality. "Kakashi'll kill him if he keeps going like this." He said quietly to himself in an alarmed tone.

"My eternal rival..." Gai was about to say something in defense of Kakashi, but he came up with nothing. Even he understood how far you were able to push your student in a simple spar that this was.

Kakashi gave Naruto the 'come here' gesture with his hand, smirking beneath his mask. "Come on Naruto, I could've sworn you were stronger when you left." He goaded Naruto again.

Kurenai openly glared at Kakashi when she saw this, physically having to be held in place by Asuma.

Naruto grit his teeth, going through hand seals while still not looking behind him.

"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku no jutsu."

Naruto shot a compressed ball of wind at Kakashi, who shunshinned out of the way. Kakashi landed right in front of Naruto, aiming a punch into the genin's throat that nearly took off his head.

Naruto rolled in the dirt towards the crowd, his eyes clenched closed in pain. He remembered where he was and sat up before opening his eyes, bringing his hand up to his throat while still sitting on his rear.

**"That's a broken collarbone." **The kyuubi mumbled in a tired voice. **"I'll get to that... later..." **

'Oi, don't fall asleep on me now of all times, I need you awake and healing me!' Naruto screamed back at the fox to wake it.

**"Oh, I'm not falling asleep... just getting tired of fixing your bones every three seconds..." **The kyuubi shot back, momentarily wide awake before his eyes drooped again. He finally began fixing Naruto's ankle, wordlessly channeling his chakra through the seal and into Naruto's body.

While he was having this conversation, Kakashi took full advantage of Naruto's daze. His fist crashed into Naruto's stomach, lifting him off the ground and letting him float in the air for a moment. As Naruto fell back down to earth, Kakashi kicked Naruto's exposed chest, breaking the same ribs for a third time and propelling Naruto smash into the chain fence.

Naruto could feel the eyes of everyone on him, but he didn't dare to look back.

He dodged another punch from Kakashi, his back still against the fence. He grabbed the chain-links above his head, using them to pull himself upwards and kick Kakashi straight in the chest with his good foot.

The attack knocked Kakashi backwards, giving Naruto more space to work with. 'I can't rush him again... I can't take much more of this.'

**"No, you really can't." **The fox muttered. **"If I have to fix your ribs one more time today, you will not have a proper night of rest for a year." **

'Duly noted.' Naruto thought dryly. In truth, he wasn't even tired. That was what was confusing him, he felt as if he could fight for another day but his body could only absorb so much before he fell and couldn't move.

While having this discussion, he failed to realize exactly what had just transpired, more focused on battling Kakashi. Unintentionally while pushing Kakashi away, he let the person who was currently directly behind the fence see his face.

And it just so happened to be one Nara Shikamaru that saw his sharingan eyes.

'What was that?' Shikamaru thought in disbelief. He didn't understand what he saw, only seeing it for but a moment. But he _did _see, Naruto's eyes had three comas around the pupil and a dot in the center, exactly how a sharingan eye was. However, unlike a normal red pupil, Naruto's were sky blue, much lighter than his normal eye color.

Shikamaru looked around, hoping someone aside from him had seen them, but it was for naught. The only person who was even standing next to him at the moment was Choji, and of course the Akimichi chose the perfect time to rummage through his pocket to pull out a new bag of chips.

"... Troublesome." He muttered under his breath, watching the fight with a more critical eye.

Inside the grounds, Kakashi must've sensed Naruto was at his physical limit, like a shark smelling blood in the water. The boy was too hampered by injury to try and use his fast paced offense, stuck hoping Kakashi didn't smash his skull too hard.

"Come on Naruto, give me a little to work with. I thought you weren't the dead last anymore?" Kakashi said tauntingly. "How are you going to get the bells from me if you can't even attack?"

"Because I'm still the best damn shinobi in all of Konoha, Dattebayo!" Naruto snapped back at the jonin, before realized what he said. 'I really wish I didn't have that tick...'

Never the less, Naruto went through hand seals before he attacked.

"Fūton: Renkūdan no jutsu." Naruto launched a compressed ball of air straight into Kakashi's chest, blasting the copy nin backwards.

'Even with his body utterly shot, he still has the energy of a hummingbird.' Kakashi watched Naruto go through hand seals again, using his go to technique.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

And there was yet another demonstration of Naruto completely insane chakra reserves. Having blasted out B ranked elemental Ninjutsu left and right almost nonstop since this test started hours ago, here he is summoning fifty shadow clones without trying.

What was scary was that even Kakashi could tell none of it was chakra from the Kyuubi, with the various injuries still on Naruto's body. The fox was doing all it could to heal them, completely ignoring Naruto's own reserves.

'A few years, he'll be a complete freak of nature.' Kakashi praised in his head.

Some of the clones charged at him, though their speed was significantly slower than normal with the injuries finally starting to wear away Naruto's stamina.

Kakashi didn't even have to try against the clones, slapping them around both figuratively and literally. He did notice Naruto wasn't trying to fight him any more though, more or less just trying to grab the bells whilst throwing a punch at Kakashi to catch the copy ninja off guard.

It didn't work.

"Shouldn't one of you guys step in and stop this?" Ino asked, wincing at the sight of Naruto getting pummeled without mercy. She looked over at Asuma, clearly looking uncomfortable watching this.

Than again, so did Asuma. The chain smoker couldn't even look anywhere but the 'spar', and he nearly went over and attacked Kakashi himself in rage because of it.

Still, Kurenai was more than able to answer. "It's frowned upon for a jonin to get involved in a team activity, under any circumstance." She explained. "Though Kakashi has taken this too far..."

"Or maybe not far enough." Asuma snapped his gaze over to the sound of the voice, as did Kurenai. Gai was watching the fight intently, not paying them much mind though not even two minutes ago the Green Beast of Konoha was with them in thinking that Kakashi had crossed the line.

"Think about who he has as students, who they are like." Gai told them simply. "They are almost a replica of Kakashi's own team from when he was a genin. The prodigy like himself in Sasuke, a medic like Rin in Sakura... Who would that mean Naruto is like?"

The genin had absolutely no idea who Gai was talking about, never hearing about Kakashi's genin team. However, the jonin had known them quite well, and Asuma blinked owlishly. "Obito? You're comparing Naruto to Obito?"

"I am." Gai nodded. "It's why he's pushing Naruto particularly hard, he doesn't want to see the same thing happen to Naruto. And after the bridge... it almost did."

Kurenai frowned, biting back a very unladylike snort. "They... do have similarities." she interjected hesitantly. "Naruto and Obito both were the dead-last graduate of their respective generations, but that's really all that's left since Naruto came back."

"No, it isn't." Gai shook his head. "Obito would've been Naruto's uncle Kurenai, unless you forgot who Naruto's mother was."

"You guys know who Naruto's parents are?" Shikamaru whipped his head around sharply, more for finally having an excuse to look away from the beating than any other reason.

The other genin followed his lead, looking at the adults. It was the common thought that Naruto's parents were simple civilians, not known by elite jonin.

Now, apparently that thought proved false.

Kurenai gave Gai a deadpan stare, while Asuma facepalmed. The Green Beast of Konoha had a sheepish face now, rubbing the back of his neck at the amateur mistake he made.

In between the punches Kakashi was laying into him, Naruto overheard parts of their conversation, losing his focus on the fight when Gai spoke of his parents. It came back to bite him though, as not even a second was needed for Kakashi to punch him in the mouth and rock him into oblivion.

It wasn't a haymaker punch, but given that Kakashi had been smashing Naruto up and down the training grounds for the better part of three minutes, it still hurt.

Naruto hit the ground face first, groaning before he sat up. He tried to stand, but fell on his rear end in exhaustion and just sat down for a minute, not even caring if Kakashi hit him.

"You know Naruto, taking your eyes off of your opponent is going to come back and bite you pretty hard." Kakashi quipped amusedly. He stood idly by, not moving to continue the spar.

Naruto groaned while rubbing his face, spitting blood onto the grass. "I'm still going to take those bells from you."

Kakashi looked amused by the statement. "If I wanted, I could've knocked you out at any time. You are a genin Naruto, a highly skilled genin with an enormous pain tolerance that just doesn't seem human, but a genin none the less." Kakashi pulled the bells off his waist and tossed them both to Naruto, who gapped in confusion. "If someone as strong as say... Iruka fought you as hard as they could, you would lose."

Naruto looked at Kakashi owlishly, not understanding. The test was over? Just like that?

The copy ninja sighed. "It's almost ten minutes after noon." He explained, pointing up at the sun. It was hard for Naruto to tell time off of the sun, having never learned how to.

But to the demon fox inside him, it was as easy as closing his eyes. **"It's 12:07 pm." **The fox mumbled tiredly, not really looking at it as his focus was on the more pressing matter of healing Naruto's injuries.

'You knew the time was up?' Naruto asked.

**"It wasn't important to Hatake, I saw no reason to tell you that you had already failed if he didn't."** The fox replied.

'Touché.' Naruto let his sharingan turn off, and the world returned to normal with everything speeding up. Knowing the test was over, Naruto let a tired smile cross his face and promptly laid down on his back with his arms outstretched.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, before he poked Naruto with his foot lightly. He had to make sure the blond didn't just drop dead on the spot, didn't he? Thankfully, the blond boy was still breathing, and seemed to have fallen asleep.

"So..." Kakashi looked over at the crowd. "anyone up for a hospital run?"

* * *

Across the training ground, Orochimaru's spy was currently henged as an ordinary pigeon. He paid little mind to the other two members of Team Seven, staring at Naruto in disappointment.

'I had much higher hopes than this... His sharingan appear to be ordinary, only a genetic mutation in looks. They didn't do anything special, not that I could see.' he frowned.

'Though his stubborn nature and his tenant did seem to make him absorb punishment like a sponge.' The teen watched Kakashi pick up Naruto carefully, walking towards the exit of the grounds while sharing words with his fellow jonin. After a few minutes, Maito Gai told his squad to go and inform the other two members of Team Seven the test was over.

'Oh well... can't be helped.' The teen shrugged, jumping off the branch and out of the training ground, letting his henge disappear. He landed on his feet and walked away leisurely, not aware of the sharingan eyes staring at his back.

* * *

Itachi was many things. A former Anbu commander, an S-ranked shinobi, a missing ninja, the murderer of the Uchiha clan. However, if there was one word not a soul on this earth would use to describe him, it would be cowardly_._

However, when he saw the Third Kazekage, he froze in terror. Before him was one of the few Kages of any nation to be ranked with the Shodai Hokage himself in power. Itachi personally believed he simply fled Suna to live out his days in comfort and relaxation, but now he knew that the greatest Kage in a of Suna's history, the strongest shinobi from the sands in the last fifty years, had been _beaten_.

"Let's get this started Itachi..." Sasori's voice was much smoother outside of Hiruko, but it kept its edge of impatience. Without delay, the puppet of the Third Kazekage launched at Itachi, a vast array of blades forming a claw on his right arm popping out as if flew through the air under Sasori's control.

Itachi parried the strike with his sword, seeing purple liquid dripping off the blades. Shoving the claw away, he went with a horizontal slash at the puppets neck.

The puppet's other arm shot up to block the attack, a short metal blade popping out at the wrist. Again, it tried to shred Itachi into ribbons with its claw-like arm, aiming at Itachi's chest in a horizontal slash.

The Raven leapt back, spinning around in the air with an outstretched leg. Using his reach advantage with his legs, Itachi crashed his heel into the puppet's face, an audible crunch sounding through the large room.

For a moment, the world stilled. Neither combatant's face held a readable expression, Itachi soundlessly letting one of his feet touch the ground while his other remained stuck in the puppet's head. On the right cheek of the third Kazekage, a large crack formed beneath Itachi's foot, its skin torn and the wood broken beneath.

Then came the sand. It was as black as night, though it gleamed brightly in the deep firelight. It threatened to swallow Itachi's foot whole, which made the Uchiha yank his foot back. 'Iron sand... That's why I didn't kick his head in half with that kick.' Itachi rationalized, his face remaining blank. He didn't like it, knowing that aside from the sand, it was nothing but simple wood and skin that he hit yet he wasn't able to utterly shatter it to splinters.

"Did you forget about the Third's Iron sand Itachi? It was great defensively... but it was more suited for offense." Sasori stated, letting the puppet back off slightly. Iron sand began to levitate around the puppet, so much of it that it formed a cloud behind the third Kazekage. Sasori gave a maniacal smile before he screamed "Die!"

The Iron sand shot at Itachi at blinding speed, going fast enough to be neigh invisible in the air even to his sharingan.

Yet instead of falling dead to the floor, his chest utterly riddled with holes that Sasori could see through, Itachi didn't even react. His face remained blank, almost impassive, and he remained in a battle ready stance.

Then of course, a raven popped out of his mouth. Another raven popped out of his eye socket, before Itachi's entire body turned into nothing more than a flock of ravens.

Sasori just stared blankly, his face not showing any surprise.

"Suiton: Suidan no jutsu."

Itachi's voice came from behind Sasori, bypassing the third Kazekage's puppet altogether. The Raven of the Uchiha clan thought he had Sasori dead to rights, that the fight was efficiently over with the attack.

He was very wrong. A wall of Iron sand formed to block the attack, Sasori simply giving Itachi an amused grin.

Itachi frowned, taking note of the trail of water between the two of them now, though he had to block a swipe from the Third Kazekage's claw-like arm. 'It's fast.' He thought, seeing a buzzsaw pop out of the puppet's other arm, replacing the small blade from earlier.

"Suiton: Suijinheki no jutsu." Water flew from Itachi's mouth, though this time it was for defensive purposes. A bubble formed around him encasing him in a protective shield from the attack from the puppet when his sword was occupied.

What happened next occurred within a second. The buzzsaw shattered upon hitting the chakra infused water, the blades clattering on the floor. Then, Itachi allowed a hole to form in the water, large enough for him to maneuver his katana through it and stab forward, aiming at the joint of the puppet's right arm.

However, Sasori's eyes bulged and his fingers twitched. Itachi felt a pull on his sword, pulling the blade away from its mark by mere inches. Itachi's own sharingan eyes narrowed before tried to pull his sword out, but found that it was stuck. Something in the Kazekage's chest was holding it in place.

'Magnet release... Kami I wish it didn't exist...' Itachi watched the claw on the puppet's right arm aim for the opening in the bubble, already inside and about to impale him. He leaned to the side, the outermost sleeve on his cloak getting cut though, though his skin remained fine.

He whipped a kunai out of his pocket as fast as lightning, jamming it into the elbow of the puppet. He let go of the kunai before he grabbed his sword, delivering a swift kick into the puppet's chest and yanking his sword free.

The bubble of water poured onto the ground around Itachi, before the Raven went through a series of hand seals.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

Itachi let loose a fireball at the disabled puppet, the water pooled at his feet steaming and evaporating around him.

Sasori again twitched his fingers, and iron sand again formed an impenetrable wall and blocked the attack.

The puppet master seemed to grimace upon seeing the puppet's arm, flicking his wrist and making the useless arm fall off at the elbow. On the stump was a storage seal, which seemed to activate automatically and let a small scythe form in place of the clawed hand.

The third Kazekage once again charged, swinging its scythe in a long diagonal arc at Itachi.

The Uchiha leaned to the left, using his forearm to shove the scythe towards the ground. His free hand rammed right into the unmarked side of the Kazekage's face, yet another crunching noise filling his eardrums. Then, Itachi yanked his fist away before it could be swallowed by the iron sand, and swung his katana for the puppet's neck.

Iron sand enveloped the Kazekage's neck, prevented the puppet from being decapitated.

Itachi grimaced, the iron sand just going around his blade like fluid before rocketing towards his chest. Being a natural genius of combat, his instincts were sharp enough to let him dodge the attack deftly, his eyes letting him move a second before anyone else would have.

His sword, now removed away from the puppet's neck, swung towards Itachi's back, parrying another strike of the scythe. Already growing annoyed by the weapon, Itachi draped his cloak around his left hand to grasp the handle of the scythe, snapping it off.

To follow this, Itachi's foot came up and smashed into the third kazekage puppet, knocking it backwards towards Sasori.

'I got you now, Sasori.' Itachi thought, inwardly growing excited but keeping a blank face. Switching his sword and scythe in his hands, he leaping high in the air, well over the heads of Sasori and his puppet.

Itachi tossed the weaponized farming tool towards the Scorpion of the Red Sands. The Kazekage got in the way though, taking the scythe straight through its chest to protect its master.

Itachi frowned deeply. 'I need to destroy this puppet, and fast. He still has other puppets to use on me, but this one is likely his strongest.'

"Just..." Sasori paused for a moment while giving commands to his puppet, before resuming his shout. "just die already!"

The mass of Iron sand shooting down in a wide spray, Root-like spikes covering almost the entire room and shooting down irregularly.

Itachi will never know how he did it, the Iron sand impaling almost every square inch of the room, but he somehow managed to avoid getting skewered. While now, he was forced to lay in an awkward position that wouldn't allow him to stand, he was very much alive.

However, in the attack his sword was caught between the iron sand and the ground, snapping the blade clean in two.

This wasn't just a heart clenching site for him, but one that brought out a religious rage. His sword was a gift from his father, one of the few the man ever gave Itachi. It was supposed to be the sword of the future of the Uchiha clan, one that was almost a token of future greatness and untapped potential.

When Sasuke was older, Itachi would've passed it on to him if he had the chance. It might not ever see use in Sasuke's hands, being the very blade that slaughtered the entire clan. But it was the only connection Itachi had left to his family, to his home.

And now it lay broken, just as his family was.

Sasori seemed satisfied, smirking down at the Raven of the Uchiha. He moved his fingers to make Iron sand form a lethal spike directly above Itachi, hanging in the air only a few feet from his chest.

"Now Itachi, ready for a family reunion... in hell!"

Sasori brought down his hands, the iron sand coming down at him.

Itachi clenched his teeth, before turning his glare to the puppet controlling the iron sand. If it was destroyed, Sasori couldn't control the iron sand anymore.

Without a second's hesitation, he activated the mangekyō in his left eye, glaring at the puppet before growling through his teeth.

"Amaterasu!"

The flames engulfed the puppet, Incinerating it in mere seconds. However, those few seconds was all it took for the sand to reach him.

Itachi rolled over as far as he could without snapping his arm, the spike cutting through the side of his ribs, scraping all the way down to the bones.

Sasori gave a dull stare at Itachi's prone form, watching as the Iron sand simply lost its shape and fell to the ground. "I liked that puppet." He deadpanned.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Itachi grunted, getting up slowly. 'You bastard...' He finished darkly in his head.

Sasori's eyes lit up when he saw the gash on Itachi's side, a confident smirk forming on his face. "You may have destroyed my puppet, but my poison runs through your veins. You have at most five minutes to defeat me before it takes hold of you and you can't move."

Sasori continued in his head, not saying the next part out loud. 'If only I had more time to develop it, I could have cut the time down to three minutes. No matter...'

Itachi's eye twitched, blood leaking out of his eye. He kept his glare on Sasori, trying to use Amaterasu but failing to do so. He was too tired at the moment to use it, there was a chance that he'd fall unconscious after and end up caught in the blaze.

Itachi finally gave a ghost of a smile. His rage seemed to break, his arms shaking, the killing intent rolling off him like waves. "Then I'll just have to kill you in four."

"You can try Itachi." Sasori said blankly, shrugging off the killing intent. He lifted his arm and instantly red hot flames shot at Itachi.

Itachi rolled away, whilst Sasori reached behind him for another sealing scroll, continuing to speak. "I was able to defeat the third Kazekage with only a single puppet..." He opened a compartment in his chest, pulling out an uncountable number of chakra strings.

Itachi glared at Sasori with a grim look on his face. 'He turned himself into a human puppet... disgusting.'

The maniacal smile returned to Sasori's face, the chakra strings all going through the storage seal. "But with this technique, I conquered an entire nation!"

Sasori opened the scroll, saying

"Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen."

Itachi's glare finally faded while his eyes widened in utter dread, one hundred puppets coming to life before his eyes. It was a move that Itachi had _prayed _he would never face, that he would never even see in his entire life. Yet, the famed Performance of a Hundred Puppets technique was being performed right before his eyes in all its glory.

"Now, you will die Itachi. Whether in a few minutes or a few seconds however, it's up to you." Sasori said. "Though if you chose to die now, you'd only be doing me a favor."

Itachi glanced down at the broken blade in his hand, before he reluctantly put the broken handle of his katana in its sheath and switched it for a kunai. Though their blades were currently the same size, only one of them wasn't broken.

"I think I'll take the third option and kill you instead." Itachi said back, twirling the kunai by the ring between his fingers.

Sasori shook his head in amusement. "When I'm done with you, I'll be sure to add you to my collection."

The puppets all flew at Itachi, brandishing their weapons.

Itachi clenched the kunai in his hand, before he ducked under a scythe that was aimed at his neck. The weapon sliced through the neck of another puppet, and Itachi kicked the scythe wielding puppet in the chin to knock it away.

Avoiding all the other strikes and letting them hit each other, he deflected a sword slash from another puppet, spinning around and catching the handle of dual sided axe aimed for his shoulder with his left hand. He stabbed the puppet in the neck with his kunai,, yanking the axe out of its grasp before pulling out the small blade in his other hand and spinning again.

Itachi cleaved through the puppet's chest with the axe, cutting it clean in two. To his right, a spear nearly came and impaled his skull had his Kunai not deflected the blow. Grabbing the shaft of the spear, he snapped it in two between his fingers and slammed the axe down through its wielder. The axe smashed into the floor, Itachi not bother to yank it free and leaving it there.

He back flipped over a strike from a club, his left hand grasping the puppet and shoving it forward, knocking down other puppets. He rolled on his back and up to his feet, continuing to fight.

Though Sasori was focusing on killing Itachi, he was impressed. Itachi was already fairing better than most did against this technique, even with lethal poison running through his veins and it was a hundred to one.

Itachi leaped into the air to dodge flail, landing with his knees on a random puppet's shoulder, snapping its neck and tearing off its head. He rolled forward, the head still clenched between Itachi's shins. Itachi let the head go while airborne, the head crashing into another puppet.

Itachi landed on the ground in a crouch surrounded by enemies. Normally not where you want to be, but he atone for this by jumping up into the air and weaving through hand seals.

"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku no jutsu." A great flame burst forth, spanning neigh the entire side of the room and incinerating everything in its path.

Itachi landed softly on the ground, before out of the corner of his eye, he saw another axe heading for his skull. He ducked, placing his hands on the ground to stabilize himself and did a mule kick into the puppet behind him. Flipping with his hands on the ground, he turned around and felt a bucket of ice pour down his shirt. The incineration technique may have destroyed everything in its path, but that didn't include the fifty standing behind him.

'I barely have any chakra left...' Itachi thought grimly. He could feel his heartbeat slowing down due to Sasori's poison, his limbs beginning to go numb. 'If I am right about Sasori turning into a human puppet, then he has to have a living core. My guess is the cylinder where his heart is supposed to be.'

Itachi dodged the strike of a flail, placing his foot on the ball to hold it down and cleaving off the puppet's arm with his kunai. He spun around and smashed his elbow into the wooden weapon's neck, snapping it and its head off.

He pushed the puppet into the one behind it and leapt into the air, going through hand seals again. Using this would put him on his last leg, but he had a plan on bringing Sasori down once and for all.

"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku no jutsu!"

Itachi used the same jutsu he used to down fifty puppets earlier to down the rest, landing on the ground in front of Sasori. The Uchiha glared at the puppeteer, before he collapsed onto one knee.

"Now it's over Sasori... you're done." Itachi panted raggedly, black spots filling his vision. He stumbled forward slowly, taking his time so he didn't fall on his face.

Sasori didn't reply, but simply gave an annoyed stare at Itachi like before. "You're worse than a cockroach." He said plainly, not caring that Itachi had annihilated one hundred more of his puppets.

Itachi didn't reply, mostly because he barely even registered the words. The poison was gripping him too tightly now, making the Uchiha trip and fall to his hands and knees. He desperately tried to push himself to his feet, but he just... couldn't.

Sasori watched him fall with a rising smirk, strolling leisurely towards the fading Uchiha. "Tell me Itachi, is this what you wanted? To die in the heat of battle at the hands of an opponent such as me?" He asked, chuckling. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any longer Itachi. I could let you lie here for a few days and die from the poison, but I'm a little excited at adding you to my collection." Sasori lifted his arm, a small cylinder coming out of his palm.

Itachi weakly lifted his head and glared up at Sasori defiantly, the tube aimed between his eyes.

"Farewell Itachi."

A thin blade shot out of Sasori's hand, piercing straight through Itachi's head. Sasori grinned madly at his triumph, until he noticed one particular thing.

There was no blood.

Sasori heard the sound of a deathly roar, and closed his eyes briefly. He opened them and looked up to see Itachi using chakra to stand on the ceiling, where he jumped up earlier.

Itachi pushed off the ceiling, rocketing at Sasori with his right hand cocked back. Flames danced around his chakra coated hand, emiting a earsplitting roar.

"MIKOTO!"

Itachi's hand pierced straight through the center of Sasori's core, the flames burning a larger hole into the puppeteer. They stood as unmoving as statues, staring each other in the eye.

Blood began to trail down both corners of Sasori's mouth, thin rivers dripping down onto Itachi's arm.

"Naming a jutsu after your mother..." Sasori said weakly before having a coughing fit, blood splattering on Itachi's unflinching face. "The Kuroi Rarion (Black Lion). It's a fitting name for the jutsu... that ended... me..."

Itachi's face remained blank as he slid his arm out of Sasori's chest, the flames still licking his fatal wound though not coating his hand. Without anything supporting his weight, Sasori fell to the floor, dead.

Itachi acted quickly, summoning a single raven to take Sasori's ring as well as his own. "Take them to Saratobi Hiruzen... and keep an eye on Naruto and Sasuke..."

Itachi watched it fly away like a dart, disappearing into the village Hidden in the Rain. He gave a soft smile, and promptly collapsed to the ground.

Before he entered the realm of darkness, he heard a single pair of footsteps. He couldn't see who was moving towards him, but he had to assume it was Pein finally leaving his study, coming to finish him off.

That didn't matter though, not to Itachi at least. He might not have dragged them all down with him, but he didn't completely fail his goal.

He at least made the Akatsuki bleed.

His eyes closed in acceptance, drifting off into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Shadow Clone. B-ranked. Instead of making fake clones that cannot do much of anything, these clones are solid. The caster can remember everything the clone does, such as what they read or what they've seen.

Amai Agoongaku- Sweet Chin Music. C-ranked. A strong kick that is aimed straight for an opponent's chin, producing a loud smacking sound through the air on contact. This attack can decapitate enemies.

Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga- Lightning Release: Beast Tracking Fang. C-ranked. By manipulating lightning chakra into their hand, the user can make the lightning expand to create the form of a hound. The hound remains connected to the user's hand, allowing them to control it during its attack.

Feidotu Burraku- Fade to black. C-ranked. An overhead elbow strike that works best when the user is above their opponent, but can be effective in most circumstances.

Fūton: Ookami Houkou- Wolf's roar. B-ranked. The user sucks in air before they shoot a highly compressed air ball from its mouth. The ball of air is shaped into that of a snarling wolf, a high pitched roar filling the air before contact with the target. Because of the large quantity of chakra kneaded into it, it explodes the moment it reaches its target, dealing an enormous amount of damage, as well as levelling anything in its path.

Katon: Karyū Endan no Jutsu- Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. B-ranked. The user molds their chakra into flames, then manipulates the shape into an Asian dragon (The ones with no wings).

Doton: Chikyuu hinan Sho no Jutsu- Earth release: Earth shelter. D-ranked. The user surrounds themselves with earth, taken from the immediate vicinity, in order to fabricate a formation of rock that is capable of protecting both the user and others in close proximity, if desired. Doing so, seemingly leaves the surrounding terrain unaltered, even when the quantity of earth used is enough to form a complete dome around multiple individuals

Suiton: Suidan no jutsu- Water bullet. C-ranked. A highly versatile technique which has many variations. After kneading chakra in their stomach, the user expels a large quantity of water in the form of a torrent towards their intended target.

Fūton: Shinkūgyoku no jutsu- Vacuum Sphere. B-ranked. The user takes a deep breath and then exhales a powerful blast of wind chakra. It can be fired in rapid succession from one shot, dispersing the attack over an expansive range, enough to make it difficult to avoid them entirely without taking any damage. Due to the properties of this technique, the expelled blasts are capable of piercing into and potentially through an opponent's flesh when they collide with it.

Raiton: Jibashi no Jutsu- Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder. B-ranked. The user generates a large amount of lightning from their hands, strong enough to shatter stone. It can pass through conductive materials to increase its range and power.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu- Great Fireball. C-ranked. A popular move among the Uchiha clan, It is a technique where the user's chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth as a massive orb

Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu- Phoenix Flower Jutsu. C-ranked. This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying in an unpredictable manner assaulting the enemy. In addition, the flames are controlled one by one with chakra, so avoiding them all is extremely difficult. Shuriken can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack.

Fūton: Daitoppa no jutsu- Great Breakthrough. C-ranked. A technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, though it's power is determined by its user (IE, an average chunin uses it, it can destroy a part of a forest. A kage can use this to destroy an entire mountain.

Karasu Bunshin no Jutsu- Crow Clone Technique. C-ranked. A technique that produces a clone by projecting one's own chakra towards dozens of "crows". Because it uses crows as a medium, it requires less chakra than the normal Shadow Clone Technique, while still being able to perform techniques. The dozens of crows come together to form the body of a clone. When the chakra projected by the user is severed, the crows disperse, though the user is still able to continue to speak through it.

Karasu no Taron- Crow's talon. C-ranked. Where the user hits their opponent in a weak point, typically in the neck but can be aimed for a limb, driving their toes into the area. It can break bones, and if used properly, can dent metal.

Doton: Doryūheki no Jutsu-Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall. B-rank. The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defence. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water. Also, for a Kage-level shinobi, it is possible to create a vast volume of earth.

Katon: Gōka Messhitsu no jutsu- Great Fire Destruction. B-ranked. A technique where chakra kneaded inside the user's body is converted into fire, and then expelled from the mouth in a massive stream of intense flames that can set a vast area ablaze, engulfing the target in a veritable sea of flames. If used upon dense, combustible terrain such as a forest, the confined area can greatly increase the possibility of the target's incineration.

Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. A-ranked. A massive version of the regular shadow clone technique, it clones mass numbers of the user.

Ryouken no Kuishibaru- Hound Clench. B-ranked. A move where the user catches a kick from their opponent before knocking them to the ground, and twists their ankle until it breaks.

Ryuuseiken- Meteor Fist. C-ranked. A downward punch that only works if one is multiple feet above their opponent, lunging with an outstretched fist to collide with their Opponent's face and smashing them into the ground.

Fūton: Renkūdan no jutsu- Drilling air bullet. B-ranked. The user sucks in air before they shoot a highly compressed air ball from its mouth. Because of the large quantity of chakra kneaded into it, it explodes the moment it reaches its target, dealing an enormous amount of damage, as well as levelling anything in its path.

Suiton: Suijinhek no jutsui- Water wall. B-ranked. This technique is a defensively oriented, a wall of water forming around the user. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defence without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will.

Amaterasu-Heavenly Illumination. The jet-black flames of the Amaterasu, said to be "the fires from hell" and as hot as the sun itself. By focusing their vision upon an object the user is able to ignite the flames, ignite at the focus of the user's vision. Use of the technique puts a great deal of strain on the user, usually causing their eyes to bleed.

Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen- Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets. Sasori's most powerful technique, allows him to summon and control one hundred puppets, ten per finger.

Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku- Great Fire Annihilation. B-ranked. A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire, and then expelled from the mouth and shaped into a massive fireball, which covers a wide range as well. This makes the technique extremely difficult to either avoid or contain.

Mikoto- Mikoto. A-ranked. A technique invented by Uchiha Itachi that is similar to Hatake Kakashi's famous Chidori, the user forms a ball of chakra in their hand before applying a fire nature to it, resulting in a sound akin to a roaring lion.

* * *

Chapter and a half done. I would've split it in half, but then both chapters would've been too small(ten thousand words each isn't _small, _but I was aiming for fifteen thousand words). And yeah, I still left a cliffhanger at the end there. I'm a mad genius like that.

Now, a tad bit of info to help clear any confusion. An Asian dragon essentially resembles a snake with a single whisker on either side of its snout (At least, that's how I envision them). I know this, that's why I picked it. Smaug from the Hobbit is not coiling around Naruto every time he uses the fire dragon bullet, it more closely resembles a serpent (But you know, has the most adorable stubby legs and and piss-your-pants terrifying dragon face.)

Quick question though, what the hellement is the difference between Gray and Grey? I always spell it as grey, but I always read it as gray in other stories and in school. It's frustrating me.

So, constructive criticism welcome though Flames are deleted and ignored (Tell me _why_ my story sucks, not that it just sucks(Looking at you, Mr. potty mouth guest reviewer that did not seem to understand Naruto is a main character not only in the anime and the manga but in my story.).), PM me if you have questions, etc.


	7. A History Lesson

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

November 10, morning

Kakashi appeared in the Hokage's office out of a poof of smoke, already knowing why he was there. He supposed he shouldn't have even been surprised he was summoned, being as aggressive as he was in the bell test.

'It was necessary.' He told himself. On his watch, Team Seven had already grown overconfident, already _lost_.

And Kakashi would not ever let that happen again.

While he was thinking about his team, he tuned out the beginning of the aging Hokage's words and found himself looking over at the hospital in which Naruto was 'admitted'.

The longer he looked, the harsher his scowl turned.

Even with Kakashi there, holding an unconscious and profusely bleeding Naruto in his arms, it did little to hinder their reluctance to heal Naruto. It wasn't until Kakashi actually slammed a kunai down on the front desk did they even acknowledge Kakashi was there.

'Then when they actually did admit Naruto into the hospital, they forced me to go back.' Kakashi remembered, clenching his fist. "_Make sure the demon doesn't attack us."_ He mimicked the doctor's voice in his head. 'What a_ joke._'

At the moment, Sasuke and Sakura were at the Inuzuka clan compound, walking some of the clan's dogs. They both wanted to be with Naruto for when he woke up, but Kakashi wanted Naruto to get proper rest without someone yelling at his unconscious body.

Later in the day, Asuma and Kurenai were probably going to take their own respective squads to visit him since they had yet to do so, though Team Nine was out on an impromptu C-rank mission to the land of Grass.

He wasn't going to pay a visit to Naruto during the day, mostly because Kakashi already decided to make a shadow clone watch over Naruto for the night to prevent any of the doctors from doing anything stupid.

It was pathetically sad that Kakashi felt that was necessary.

"-shi... Kakashi!" Hiruzen snapped at the jonin, jarring the Copy Ninja out of his thoughts. When Kakashi looked over at the aging Hokage, Hiruzen calmed himself. "I've been trying to get your attention for almost five minutes."

Kakashi stood up straighter. He was a little more than embarrassed about not paying attention. "Sorry Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen frowned at the shinobi. "It's alright... but can you explain to me what was going through your mind when you administered the bell test yesterday?" He asked.

Kakashi didn't bat an eye at the question."I wanted to push team seven to their limit, sir."

Hiruzen's gaze hardened on Kakashi for his blunt answer. "You engaged in a spar with Naruto that put him in the hospital." The pipe smoking Saratobi said blandly. "According to Asuma, you used unnecessary force against him, while Kurenai even stated she had to be restrained by my son from intervening."

Kakashi did not like that. "Intervention in another team's activities is enough to warrant a suspension-"

"Don't you dare talk of warranted suspensions!" Hiruzen barked, slamming his fist on the table. "You literally beat Naruto halfway to death, and you're upset at Asuma for wanting to stop it!"

"I used force I deemed necessary." Kakashi said, disputing the claim as respectfully as he could while not ticking off Hiruzen. "I was just doing what you told me too and forced him to use his eyes, sir."

Hiruzen stared at Kakashi, utterly baffled. "No," He pinched the bridge of his nose. "No you were not Kakashi. Don't try to use that excuse. Another shinobi should not have to feel the need to intervene in the bell test, under any circumstance. I wanted you to push for his eyes one on one when you were supposed to gauge his skills upon returning, _not in front of a crowd you invited to observe your team's bell test!_"

Kakashi remained silent, and listened to the angry Hokage.

Hiruzen eventually calmed himself, though anger remained bubbling under the surface. "Naruto only engaged you because you were going to beat all of Team Seven without mercy or restraint." He stated in a controlled voice. "The goal of the test was to measure their capacity _as a team._"

Kakashi shrugged blithely. "I tested their teamwork for the better part of the morning." he said, still too relaxed for Hiruzen's liking. "They proved that they were a little rusty, but they were still easily one of the better genin squads in Konoha at the moment. Might even consider signing them up for the exams later-"

"Stop being so casual about this Kakashi!" Hiruzen shouted at Kakashi flippantly, standing up. "You _nearly killed _your students, and it's not the first time!"

Kakashi looked back at his leader silently, now eye level with him. He was well aware that if he wanted to, Hiruzen would probably be able to pop Kakashi's skull like a grape.

After a tense silence, Hiruzen finally calmed himself once more and returned to his seat. "Kakashi," Hiruzen spoke in a strained tone, still fighting the urge to hit the Jonin before him. "This is not the first time you've gone too far in a spar."

Kakashi did nothing to dispute this, nor did he dare to interrupt.

"I watched your impromptu spar with Sasuke the other day." Hiruzen informed him, gesturing to his crystal ball. "You went harder at Sasuke than you've ever gone_. _And just yesterday I watched you all but goad Naruto into continuing to fight, even after the test was officially over and he was injured to the point of _hospitalization_. Now tell me, what are you trying to do and why should I not suspend you instead?"

Kakashi to his credit still maintained his poise. It rather unnerved Hiruzen now that Kakashi remained unchanged, until he heard the Copycat's words. "I am trying to make them worthy of being Team Seven."

Hiruzen had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Could you elaborate?"

Kakashi cleared his throat, not knowing how to put his thoughts into a phrase. After a moment of thought, he began. "They grew too cocky in Wave, they thought they were unbeatable. It's why Naruto charged in blindly against Haku while Sasuke was trapped in the ice mirrors, it's also why Naruto risked his life to protect us. I want them to never be that foolish again."

Hiruzen gave Kakashi a blank look, urging him to go on.

The Copy Ninja rubbed his neck, not knowing where else to go with his statement. Eventually, he decided to tell the long version of what he was doing, and explain in full detail.

"The original team Seven was yourself, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu under our second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Your team played a vital role in ending the first shinobi world war, with you being named Hokage at the end."

Hiruzen continued to listen to him without uttering a word.

"Then, the banner passed down to your genin squad, the legendary Sannin. Jiraiya the Gallant, Orochimaru, and the first Hokage's granddaughter Senju Tsunade." Kakashi continued to regale Team Seven's history. "Together, they fought Hanzo of the Salamander in the Second Shinobi World War. Though defeated, they were given their label by Hanzo himself."

"The moniker of Team Seven remained with them until Jiraiya-sama began training Minato-sensei and his team about twenty years later. Sensei's was teamed with Hyūga Hizashi and Uchiha Fugaku. They were considered the peaceful era team, having never performed a mission in a war together but still earning well deserved reputations."

Hiruzen pursed his lips. Kakashi knew an awful lot of Team Seven's history if he remembered Hizashi. The branch Hyūga died far too young.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "After both Hizashi and Fugaku retired from the shinobi forces to be with their respective wives, the title of Team Seven passed onto my genin team under Minato-sensei with Rin and Obito, with Minato-sensei being named your successor at the end of the third shinobi world war."

Kakashi again paused, this time exhaling and smiling softly under his mask, not that Hiruzen could see it. "Now, the banner has passed yet again. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto are under me as the current incarnation."

"You speak as if I forgot." Hiruzen finally said dryly, having listened to what Kakashi was going to say. "However, I know more of each incarnation of Team Seven's history than you could possibly ever learn Kakashi. Comparing your team to any of the others you mention isn't fair, and it explains nothing."

Kakashi nodded, choosing to ignore the last part of Hiruzen statement and continue his explanation. "I apologize Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed. "But as it stands, they don't even deserve to be mention in the same breath as the teams before them. They do not deserve to be Team Seven."

"Then why?" Hiruzen asked. "Why did you pass them if they don't deserve to be shinobi?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I did not say they did not deserve to be shinobi. They've more than earned the right to wear the leaf insignia on their foreheads." He looked Hiruzen in the eye. "They just do not deserve to be called Team Seven yet."

"As I said earlier Kakashi, comparing them to any team before them is unfair." Hiruzen repeated, unfazed.

"But I don't want them to compare." Kakashi countered, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Hiruzen.

"I want them to be greater than all of the teams I just named. A centaury from now, I want Konoha to be forced to officially retire the moniker Team Seven because of their greatness, I want the whole nation no... I want the entire _world_ to teach their children that this Team Seven is the golden standard for which they all strive for."

Kakashi finished his speech with a look of determination in his eye.

"Now that," Hiruzen said, giving Kakashi a dubious look. "is a very lofty goal Kakashi."

"I know sir." Kakashi nodded again. "But I believe it can be done."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair again. "I understand that they each possess limitless potential, but to try to force Konoha to retire the moniker itself is... astounding. The feats they would have to accomplish would be greater than any you mention before-hand." Hiruzen stated. "Your own team couldn't do it, my team couldn't do it, even my students couldn't pull it off. Why are they going to be different?"

Kakashi gave a soft smile to the aging Hokage, his eye creasing. It was a _very _lofty goal, maybe even an impossible one, but if any team could pull it off, it had to be this one.

"Because each generation surpasses the last." The Copy Ninja radiated confidence as he spoke. "Sasuke is like myself. Calm, calculative, and naturally skilled. A natural genius, he learned the Chidori in as little as two months. I'll say it right now off the record, Sasuke has the most drive in him to become elite out of the three, something his brother made sure he would have. If early graduation was still allowed, Sasuke would've already reached the rank of chunin and be nearing a jonin rank by now."

"For Sakura, she is like Senju Tsunade was when she began. She lacks potency in genjutsu and she lacks the reserves for ninjutsu, but yet she has an uncanny ability to heal. She has an absurd amount of chakra control, to the point if she trained in it she would be able to use ninjutsu effectively in a few more years of refinement. Sakura may take longer than Tsunade took to grow stronger because her reserves are naturally smaller, but yet she's going to be the glue that holds Team Seven together and keeps them from shattering like the sannin did."

"And Naruto," Kakashi gave an eyesmile when he got to the blond genin. "He really is his father's son. He possesses Minato-sensei's uncanny speed, his adaptability in combat, and his determination. He's shown some degree in skill with Fuuinjutsu as well, and is eager to learn Minato-sensei's Rasengan. In personality though, that is almost a carbon copy of his mother. He's cheerful, stubborn as a rock, headstrong, and brash to a fault. Naruto's also extremely aggressive about protecting his teammates, risking his life without hesitation like he did in Wave and like he did yesterday in the bell test. With the proper teacher and a little patience, Naruto's potential has no limit. He can surpass not only his father, but maybe even the Shodai himself."

"That is why they will be the greatest, Hokage-sama." Kakashi smiled. "They have too much potential not to."

Hiruzen's eyes never left Kakashi's face. His lips never parted to utter a word.

He simply stared into Kakashi's lone eye, content with making Kakashi sweat.

Finally, the aging Hokage leaned back in his chair, lighting the tobacco in his pipe. "I see." He murmured, bringing the pipe to his lips. "Tell me Kakashi, if you believe in their potential this much, would you have a problem taking them out on another C-ranked mission in a few days?"

Kakashi frowned. 'I _do _need to see them in the field...'

"I'd have no problem with it." Kakashi gave Hiruzen an odd look. While he _had_ planned to ask for exactly what the Hokage offered, having the Hokage just up and hand him one was more than a little odd. "Naruto will be fine by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, and we can go the next day."

Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth, and exhaled the smoke from his lungs. "Good." The old man rummaged through his paperwork for a moment until he found a manila folder. He held it out to Kakashi. "Because I already scheduled Team Seven to take a C-ranked in two days to Kusagakure."

Kakashi took the folder from Hiruzen and read its contents. "Are you sure this kind of mission is a good one for Team Seven to get their feet wet again with?" Kakashi incredulously in his exposed eye. "After our last C-rank, I'm not certain how they'd feel about... this."

The Copy Nin couldn't come up with a replacement word for _death, _because that was more often than not apart of the life of a shinobi.

Hiruzen's gave a tired sigh, understanding what Kakashi was implying. "Your squad needs to grow accustomed to loss, like all the other genin teams in our shinobi core. That aside, we are actually undermanned right now."

"Undermanned?" Kakashi made it sound like he was said 'the sky was falling'.

"Yes, as odd as that is." Hiruzen gave yet another tired look. "Preparation for the exams is a tasking chore, given how large the second test is going to be as well as the additions being added to the Arena. Leave it to Kumo to not just break traditions in test design, but be projected to have the largest amount of television ratings in the chunin finals history."

Then, Hiruzen pointed at Kakashi. "In addition, the client personally requested you to be sent. Normally I'd just send you out there on your own to handle this, it's only a C-rank, but I need to see how your squad perform in a field test." Hiruzen had a gleam of something akin to mischief in his eyes. "If they succeed, I'll have no problem giving you the paperwork for them to sign to enter the chunin exams."

"But if they fail?" Kakashi was now worried, nothing in life was ever this convenient. He decided not to ask why he was personally requested, not that it mattered.

Hiruzen's lips stretched into a smile. "Then not only will I not give you the paperwork for this exam, but I will not do so for the next one in six months either. In addition, you and Team Seven will be forced into D-rank missions for the six months between exam periods."

Kakashi's eyes widened. He did _not _like the stakes being raised at the moment, but if he declined, then he wouldn't feel comfortable enough to ask for the paperwork.

'Team Seven is still too rusty to be effective.' Kakashi felt like he was trapped between a rock and a hard place. 'Naruto is more than ready, and Sasuke shouldn't slow the team down, Sakura still has to prove to me that she can at the very least defend herself before I throw her to the wolves.'

With this in mind, Kakashi found his answer. "Team Seven will be more than happy to take care of this, don't worry about it Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen nodded at Kakashi. "Good. You're dismissed." The Hokage watched Kakashi leave the same way he entered, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, though he already knew where the Copy Ninja was heading.

* * *

November 10, overnight

Naruto ached.

That was the best way to describe how he felt, his body throbbing from every possible muscle in his body. He was fairly certain that no bones were still broken or organs injured, only the lingering pain was still there.

'Where am I?' Naruto wondered, his eyes fluttering open.

He still half-expected himself to be staring up at the midday sky, that he was not even unconscious for over a minute. Instead, he found himself gazing up at a dark blue-grey ceiling, the only light coming dimly from an open window.

Outside of the room, the full moon was unblocked by clouds and its light seeped through Konohagakure. It cast a dull light into the room Naruto was in, illuminated the world so that the jinchuriki could still make out shapes in the room.

The jinchuriki frowned at seeing how late it was, before looking around. Directly to his left was Kakashi sleeping in a chair, his head laying on the corner of the wood.

In front of him, Naruto could not see as well. It was a relatively large room from what he could tell and he could make out the tiles in the floor. He could also make out counters and the sort up near the front end of the room, opposite him.

Naruto felt a sudden breeze nip the back of his neck, the air surprisingly warm for this time of year. Why the window was even open in the first place was a mystery, it was November.

Deciding to sit up in his bed, Naruto let out a yawn. Next to him, the Copy Ninja's uncovered eye snapped open to watch Naruto's movements, making sure that Naruto was actually awake and not just jumping up only to fall back down.

Believe it or not, it wouldn't of been the first time Naruto had done that... or the second.

The blond boy gave the jonin a passing glance before his eyes fell down to his person. While his legs were covered by a plain white blanket, beneath it he could feel a sheet so thin and flimsy it might as well of been a paper towel that covered him from his shoulders to his knees.

He felt bandages wrapped around his ribs from the repeat amount of times they were broken. Knowing the fox, his bones had already healed overnight.

Yet they still felt a little brittle, as if too much movement and they would snap once again.

But while the Nine Tails had mended most of Naruto's injuries, the jinchuriki's ankle still felt broken. Looking down, he found that it was tapped up to the point he couldn't move it.

'I can feel the bones still mending, maybe the nine tails was just fixing the other injuries first.' Naruto thought briefly, checking the rest of his person for more injuries.

After a moment, he only other lingering mark on him was his arm from his kamikaze-style lung through the fire dragon bullet. The skin on his arm was still a light pink, and still stung from the light breeze kissing his skin.

Naruto finally looked away from himself and back over at Kakashi, finding the Copy Ninja was still looking at him.

"...Where are we?" The jinchuriki finally asked, his voice sounding hoarse. Naruto coughed, not realizing how dry and patchy his throat was until now.

"We're in the hospital." Kakashi replied plainly, slapping his hands on his knees before he stood up. He walked over to the sink and filled a paper cup with water. "You've been out for about thirty six hours now, a day and a half."

"Meh?" Naruto had a dumbfounded look on his face. "A day and a half? Are you serious?" He asked, sounding shocked.

"If not for the fox, you might not have woken up for another week." Kakashi shrugged. He walked back to where Naruto was and gave the boy the cup of water before sitting back down.

Naruto took it silently, gulping it down quickly. He gave Kakashi an appreciative nod of thanks before he spoke again.

"If... if I was out for a day and a half, wouldn't that make it around midnight?" Naruto asked, still a little hesitant to say he lost an entire day of his life.

Kakashi for the most part looked apologetic. "I'm sorry about the Bell test Naruto, I got carried away."

Naruto noded slowly, noting that his eyes weren't as blurry as when he first awoke. He turned away from Kakashi and looked around the room, taking in his surroundings.

"I've never been in a hospital room before..." The dark room still had no good qualities to Naruto, everything visible in the moon's dim light being the same dark blue-gray. "I don't like it, where's the orange?"

Kakashi sweat dropped at that. "What is it with you and that color?" he muttered under his breath, before saying aloud. "The one thing I wanted you to outgrow, and you don't. Unbelievable."

"Orange is the color of awesomeness." Naruto replied flatly.

Kakashi sighed at Naruto's answer, deciding this was not an argument he wanted to get in. "I'll get you out of here at around nine tomorrow morning." He left out the little tidbit of information that the doctors probably would've kept Naruto longer had he been someone else, but since Naruto was... well, _Naruto, _they were probably more than eager for him to leave.

"After a day of bed rest for you, your ankle should be healed up and Team Seven will be leaving for a mission the day after tomorrow." The Copy Ninja turned serious again.

"Leaving for a mission?" Naruto's voice grew hopeful. "Like... a C-rank?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yep." He confirmed Naruto's hopes. "Hokage-sama was willing to let us try one again, given that most C-ranks don't turn into A-rank."

What the Copy Ninja didn't say the Hokage allowed it simply because Kakashi was on the team and they paid extra to request his participation on the job. "Its a mission into Kusagakure, we're supposed to find out what is murdering people in a small village near the borders of the Land of Fire."

Naruto cocked his head slightly, bewildered. That was a lot darker than he was expecting. "Murdering people?" He questioned, a little more alarmed. How was protecting a bridge builder from bandits and finding a murderer the same rank?

Kakashi nodded somberly, trying to keep an upbeat attitude for Naruto's sake but failing to do so. "Along the way, I'll start teaching you the Rasengan... with luck, you'll have it down in a couple of years."

"Years?" Naruto repeated. "I'll have it down in a week, just you watch."

Kakashi gave Naruto a challenging look with his lone eye. "The Rasengan took your father _years _to create Naruto. I dare you to try to get it down in a week when we get there. I _dare_ you."

Naruto gave a confident smirk, one that said he's more than up for the challenge.

"You're on Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

Across the village, Uchiha Sasuke continued to toss and turn in his bed. Though it was painfully obvious to him that this night would just not let him have proper rest, he kept trying.

After readjusting himself yet again, this time face down into a pillow, he finally let out a muffled groan of defeat.

'Kami take it...' he thought whilst flipping up to face the ceiling. That wasn't comfortable enough either, and he opened his eyes to stare up at the blackened ceiling of his room.

He just stared up into the dark for a few minutes counting sheep in boredom, trying to fall asleep.

After getting to one hundred, Sasuke grit his teeth in slight frustration. He clenched his eyes shut and hit the back of his head against his pillow in a desperate attempt to get more comfortable.

It didn't work, and he started coughing lightly. After his coughing fit ended, he groaned again. 'I'm thirsty now... why can't the sun just rise already?'

The Uchiha tossed off the blanket wrapped around him, standing up and stretching. Sasuke gave a yawn before wiping his eyes and wandering out of his room.

He kept a hand on the left wall so that he knew where he was going, and made his way to the kitchen.

Like the rest of the house, the room was to dark to see. Still, Sasuke knew where he was going and went to grab a cup out of the cupboard, before he went over to the sink.

He filled the cup to the brim with tap water, taking a sip before looking up at the moon from the window.

'Maybe some fresh air might help me sleep...' Sasuke thought, walking out of the kitchen and through the dining room.

The dining room had been unused for years now, the table and chairs exactly as they were ten years ago from the last meal the last Uchiha and his immediate family all shared as a family. Dust had settled over the wood to the point it was as thick as paint, cobwebs stretching between the back chair and the table.

Sasuke paused himself to stare at the round table with four chairs around it, his eyes falling flat. 'That... that used to be your seat, father.' he thought, looking at the chair towards the back. His eyes inevitably shifted to the seat to the right, and he bit back a frown. 'And that... that was yours nii-san.'

He grit his teeth as unwanted memories came bubbling back to the surface and looked away from the dinner table. He trudged away towards the back exit of his house, opening the sliding glass door and walking onto his porch.

The Uchiha closed the door behind him walked over to the edge of the porch, where there was no railing to separate the deck from the ground, and sat down.

The porch was high enough for Sasuke to kick his feet back and forth like a child, though he refrained from doing so. Instead, he just set his glass down next to him and stared up at the moon.

Sasuke never understood it, how the moon worked the way it did. He understood gravity and all that, he understood that it was the reason there were tides on beaches and the like, but that wasn't what made it an anomaly to him.

It was so far away, so distant from him... yet it shapes his everyday life. Most of the time it was barely visible, yet every day it was what kept his feet grounded.

'Just like Itachi.' Sasuke scowled at the analogy he made up. Just the sheer _thought_ of that murderer put him in a bad mood.

But he couldn't deny he was wrong. The moon and Itachi were so... distant from him, yet they were apart of his every day life. Both were about as close to Sasuke as they were with each other anyway.

Sasuke could also make out the outlines of clouds in the moon's light, seeing the blue-grey wisps of dust and water in the sky. Sasuke relaxed himself after a few minutes, his mind eventually wandering to yesterday's bell test.

'Wouldn't of thought Neji held Naruto in high regard.' He thought. Yesterday afternoon when they were leaving from visiting Naruto, he passed by the branch Hyūga before he departed on a mission.

_'Give Uzumaki my well wishes for me, will you?'_

It was a little awkward to say the least, since the two hadn't ever spoken before then. But none the less, Sasuke would've heeded Neji's words if Kakashi didn't sign him and Sakura up for dog watching duty and then chasing Tora (for the third time in ten days).

'I wonder though, are we still not good enough for the bell test in Kakashi's eyes?' Sasuke frowned at this.

Naruto proved that he was deserving of a chunin rank by fighting Kakashi for twenty minutes at a level higher than a genin. Something that even Sasuke couldn't do.

While the Uchiha might not have done them as many favors by only lasting fifteen minutes to Naruto's twenty, he showed he deserved the rank and knew he did.

But the sheer fact that Naruto once again indirectly showed him stung his pride. It angered him, yet at the same time, thrilled him.

'Maybe I finally have the rival I need to push me over the edge.' He hoped.

Of course, his thoughts eventually went back to figuring out if Kakashi thought they deserved to enter the chunin exams.

'It comes down to whether he thinks Sakura is ready for the test... and he doesn't.' Sasuke looked away from the moon and stared out at his yard. 'While she's improved as a medic, she's still practically a moving training dummy in combat.'

He needed Sakura to improve if he was going to go anywhere in this path he's chosen.

'As much faith that I have in her, Kakashi doesn't have as much faith in her as I do. But how can she prove she's ready for something like this?' He wondered briefly.

Out of the corner of his eye Sasuke saw a bird land on the deck near him. His thoughts ended there and he looked over at the bird curiously.

He stared at it for a moment, before his stare turned more wolfish. 'A Sharingan?' Sasuke's thoughts were almost peaceful, like the calm before the storm.

Sasuke glared hatefully at the bird, his fists clenching tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white and his nails began to break through his skin. It was rather pointless of him to do, but he activated his sharingan almost on instinct.

The bird cocked its head at Sasuke, something that it meant as confusion but Sasuke took as an insult.

Without missing a beat, the bird jumped up to avoid Sasuke's grasp and flew as far away from the bloodthirsty savage trying to kill him as possible.

As it flew away, the crow looked back and held up the middle of its talons at Sasuke, who continued to glare back hatefully. Sasuke's heated glare remained at the bird's retreating form until it disappeared from his site.

"...I _hate _crows." He grunted to himself, letting his sharingan turn off while grabbing his cup of water off the deck of the porch.

Sasuke stood up and stalked back inside, now even more awake than before. He had so many things running through his head that he thought his brain would explode, but there was only one thing truly gnawing at his mind.

'That bird had a sharingan, which means it had to of been Itachi's summon. What was that bird doing here... is Itachi still watching over me after all this time?'

* * *

Hiruzen was currently face first in every Hokage's arch-nemesis. His breath between snoring and moaning, his pipe having fallen out of his mouth and laying across his papers. He was still in the office because he was trying to get the paperwork set for the chunin exams next month.

Technically, he wasn't asleep per say, he was just so bone tired that he wished he was.

'I hate this job.' He thought ruefully, wallowing in his own misery.

The paperwork had bested him yet again, to the point of beating the poor old man into submission. 'If I work for another hour... I'll only have six more hours worth to go.' He told himself, sitting up and glaring at the mountain of paper on his desk with the ferocity of a bijuu.

His glare faded and he slumped back down, again face first. 'Why did I agree to do this for the chunin exams?'

After a few minutes, a bird decided to fly through the window and land on his desk. 'Sleep now, look at the bird later.' Hiruzen thought, before the bird pecked him on the head to get him up. The Hokage open one eye in annoyance and glared at the bird grumpily.

A moment later though, he jolted up. He recognized the bird as one of Itachi's many summons.

The bird cawed at him once before it dropped two rings unceremoniously onto Hiruzen's desk from its beak, then looked up at Hiruzen expectantly.

Hiruzen looked down at the two rings, recognizing one as Itachi's from the Akatsuki. The entire ring itself was made of silver, and it had a red face that bore the kanji for vermilion on it.

He had seen the ring before, it was what Itachi was given upon initiation into the Akatsuki. Itachi had shown him it in a photo a few years ago.

Only, there were two rings, and the other ring was one that he hadn't seen before.

It was like Itachi's ring in design, though a size or two smaller. Instead of being red and bearing the kanji for vermilion though, the latter ring was purple and bore the kanji for jewel on the face.

'He managed to eliminate a member... but why give me his own ring?' Giving Hiruzen the rings was the safe thing to do for the Uchiha if he wished to hinder the Akatsuki in more ways than killing a member, but Itachi wore it as a last resort to stop whatever they were doing.

Hiruzen didn't know what that meant, but he trusted Itachi's judgment back then. However, why did Itachi give Hiruzen his ring _now_?

'Itachi... why did you give this to me?' Hiruzen wondered, brushing his finger across the kanji on the face of the red ring. A terrible thought struck him. 'Have you... fallen?'

The bird on Hiruzen's desk started flapping its wings to fly away, giving Hiruzen a respectful bow before leaving.

The third Hokage however, paid little mind to it. No, his mind was elsewhere, being more concerned what he should do with Itachi's old Akatsuki ring without trying to think about Itachi's fate.

'I should give this to Sasuke... it is his by right.' Hiruzen thought to himself, holding the red ring and rubbing his finger over the marking on the front.

'No... Sasuke wouldn't want it if he knew whose it was. Perhaps... Naruto should take it?' He was the second choice behind Sasuke, being Itachi's student as well as the only other relative.

However, Hiruzen shook his head to himself. 'If such an event as Naruto's capture by the Akatsuki occurred, then they would have Itachi's ring once again.'

Hiruzen sighed, before he looked down at the other ring. His first instinct was to break it, melt it down and turn it into something like a fancy shuriken. Of course, it was too small to make even an ordinary sized shuriken, but still... Konohamaru would love it as a present.

"There are days I wonder why I came back into office..." He mumbled to himself, putting the purple ring into a storage seal and putting it into a drawer under his desk.

He set the red ring down on his desk. He'd just give it to Kakashi and let the copy ninja decide when to give it to Sasuke.

He tore his gaze away from the ring and looked at the pile of paperwork scathingly. "If I get this done in an hour, I might get to sleep until dawn." He tried to give himself a pep talk, before he whimpered and picked up the nearest paper.

If he was lucky he'd be done by noon tomorrow.

* * *

November 11, afternoon.

"Why are we in Ino's room?"

Choji sat closest to the door, with his back to it. He had a bag of chips in his hands, and was the one to ask why Shikamaru dragged him up here with Ino walking behind them.

Their fathers all decided to get together at the Yamanaka house and laugh about old times. Of course, as is parental custom, they dragged their kids along with them and turned it into a family event, part of the reason the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were so close.

Ino was sitting on her bed, above the two boys currently on the ground.

She rolled her eyes at Choji and pointed at the thick red book in Shikamaru's hands. "Because Shikamaru said he figured out where Naruto was for the last two months." The girl explained.

Choji blinked before giving her a blank look of confusion.

"He wasn't looking for his family like he said." Shikamaru simplified, the Nara's eyes skimming through the book in front of him with unusual vigor. He was sitting across from Choji and furthest from the door, his back against the far wall.

Shikamaru paused his reading to continue speaking. "Well, technically he was, but that's beside the point-"

"Shika, you'll confuse him more." Ino interrupted. "Actually, you'll confuse both of us more. Why did you bring a Uchiha clan history book?"

Shikamaru looked at Ino before sighing. "Troublesome teammates..." He mumbled. "I'll tell you in a minute."

While all this was happening, Choji just sat in between them with a stupefied expression on his face. He shrugged and pulled another chip out of his bag and waited for them to fill him in.

"Where is it?" Shikamaru mumbled to himself, before he sighed and looked up at Choji. 'Guess I should at least explain this to them now so that I don't have to explain it all if I ever find it.' He thought to himself, before speaking.

"Alright buddy, remember how Naruto was channeling chakra through his eyes during the bell test?" The Nara flipped to the next page.

The Akimichi heir raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Remember how he also was flinging every move Kakashi used right back at him?" Shikamaru continued.

Choji nodded slowly, his confusion not dwindling. "Yes Shikamaru, I remember. Where are you going with this?"

Shikamaru glanced over at a quiet Ino, who gestured for him to continue. She didn't know what he was thinking either.

"I think Naruto is a Uchiha." Shikamaru looked back at Choji, finally stopping from dancing around his theory. "Or at the very least a descendant... I just can't find out why..."

Shikamaru didn't finish the last part out loud. He went back into the book to find what he was searching for, hoping that Choji would be silent until then and wait for Shikamaru to be able to explain it better.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. "... You are on drugs." Choji deadpanned.

Shikamaru groaned and hit himself in the forehead with the book in his hands. "Oh for the love of-"

"It makes sense Choji, forget that its Naruto and think about it." Shikamaru spoke again. "Channeling chakra through his eyes, copying Kakashi's attacks, using a Uchiha clan taijutsu. Oh, and he had a sharingan during the fight."

"Wait, what?" Ino stopped and looked over at Shikamaru in confusion. "We can't say that for certain yet, we only can say what we already know."

Shikamaru held up a finger to silence her. "But I do already know that Naruto has a sharingan." He said. "I saw Naruto's eyes. That's why I asked you to bring me this thing. I was hoping it wouldn't be such a dick and would tell me more about the sharingan, but it's only saying the basic information about the clans."

Ino held back a snort at Shikamaru's choice of language and instead asked the obvious. "You actually saw it?"

Shikamaru shrugged in response. "When Kakashi forced Naruto against the fence and Naruto used the chain-links to avoid Kakashi's next attack, I was able to see Naruto's eyes for about a second."

The Nara flipped the page and continued skimming. "I could make out three comas in both of his eyes in a circle pattern. The problem though, was the color of Naruto's sharingan."

"Color of Naruto's eyes?" Ino scrunched her brow in confusion. "It was a sharingan, it should've been a dark red color."

"Hey!" Choji barked, getting their attention. In all honesty, both "The hell are you guys talking about now!"

"Naruto's sharingan." Shikamaru explained to Choji shortly, before turning to address Ino. "That's the problem Ino, Naruto's wasn't red. His eyes were a really light blue, like the sky."

"That's..." Ino hesitated. She wanted to say 'impossible', but as a daughter of Yamanaka Inoichi, she had heard some far fetched tails from the previous Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

"No one has ever heard of a blue sharingan before." Ino decided to say. "You would think that if there was someone before Naruto with a blue sharingan, there would be stories about them at the very least for it."

"But there aren't any. No legends, no stories, or even any history of them." Shikamaru sighed. "There's absolutely nothing on a blue sharingan."

Team Ten fell silent. A blue sharingan, something like that just wasn't seen everyday, or even any day. But if Naruto had it, then that meant someone else had to of had it too.

Yet that didn't seem to be the case.

"... We'll have to figure it out later Shika." Ino finally said, ending the silence. "Right now, I say we focus on how Naruto got so good so quickly."

"I still say you guys are high on something." Choji grumbled under his breath. "Making me miss a perfectly good meal too..."

"Choji, you're not missing anything. Our dads are probably drinking sake or something and talking about the old days." Shikamaru snapped the book shut in his hands and set it down in front of him. "As for who trained him, I think I figured that out too Ino."

"...I hate how smart you are." Ino stated flatly, giving the Nara a dry look. "Why can't you let me or Choji figure things out, huh?"

"It be to troublesome to wait for you guys." Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly, before he got serious again. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure that Naruto was trained by someone extremely patient, even more skilled, and above all else... another Uchiha."

"Sasuke's the only Uchiha left." Choji pointed out. "He's the only one loyal to Konoha, and right now I'd say Naruto was stronger than him right now."

Shikamaru gave a yawn. "I never said Naruto was trained by a Uchiha loyal to our village."

It dawned on Ino what Shikamaru was suggesting. "...I'm with Choji, you're high as the sky Shika."

Choji beamed, happy someone was on his side.

"There is no way in hell Naruto trained under _him_." The Yamanaka clan heiress continued on to say.

"He had to have. The Crow Clone technique, the Sokudoken, and helping Naruto grow not completely helpless against genjutsu." Shikamaru disputed. "Who else could've possibly done that as well as teach Naruto about his sharingan at the same time?"

"You guys lost me again." Choji spoke up. "Naruto was trained by who?"

"Shikamaru thinks Naruto was trained by Uchiha_ Itachi_." Ino didn't even take her eyes off of Shikamaru's face. "Which isn't possible."

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose. "Troublesome..." He mumbled under his breath. "It's entirely possible, Naruto even hinted that he found someone that could teach him about both his family and how to fight."

_"Uh..." Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I was trying to find out about my family... since no one knew anything around here, I figured I could ask around elsewhere before I made it back home... I didn't think people would care that I was gone, sorry."_

_"I was also training though," he added quickly. "I met new people and learned new techniques."_

Ino remembered back to what Naruto said to them. It was almost as if he planned on them coming up with these theories like this, Shikamaru was right about Naruto throwing an unintended hint at them.

"I-"

Whatever Ino was going to say, the world may never know. The door suddenly swung wide open, banging loudly against the wall behind it.

Choji let out a girly squeal and rolled away from the door, while Shikamaru looked up with shocked eyes. Ino just palmed her face, completely mortified. 'This is not happening, this is not happening... this is happening. Great.'

A moment after the door swung open, Inoichi strode into the room. His eyes were on Ino first, before they shifted onto Shikamaru and Choji. "Why are there two boys in my princess's room... with the door closed?"

"Uh..." Choji's brained seemed to shut off at the worst time for him, and he couldn't come up with anything.

Fortunately for Team Ten, he didn't have to.

"We're discussing the upcoming Chunin exams." Shikamaru said smoothly. He noticed Shikaku and Choza walk into the room while he was speaking, but kept his eyes on the overprotective dad in front of him.

Inoichi narrowed his eyes on Shikamaru, ignoring Choji completely now. "Were you now..."

"It's true daddy," Ino spoke up to help Shikamaru out. "we were talking about how it's going to be in Kumo this year and how the arena was supposed to be way bigger than any other Chunin exam arena before it."

Choji nodded his head shakily. "Y-yeah!"

"Just relax Inoichi, the three of them grew up as siblings." Choza said, chewing on jerky. "It's not like they're doing anything up here."

Inoichi glanced over at Shikaku, who remained silent. He was the one person Inoichi had ever met that he couldn't get a read on, couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

Shikaku glanced back at him with a calm smirk, before looking back at his son. 'You certainly got yourself in a predicament, didn't you?' He thought dryly.

The Yamanaka looked away from the elder Nara and looked back at Team Ten. His eyes fell to the closed book in Shikamaru's arms. "If you were talking about the Kumo exams, why do you have a book on the Uchiha clan history?" Inoichi asked.

"We..." Shikamaru's voice trailed off. He thought about it for a second, before he continued speaking. "We were trying to come up with a weakness for the Sharingan, in case any of us end up facing Sasuke during the exams."

Inoichi raised a challenging eyebrow. "...The odds of that happening are less than a hundred to one. Are you coming up with a plan to beat every Konoha genin in the exams?"

The Yamanaka clan head smirked when he saw Shikamaru start sweating. Inoichi wasn't buying the lie Shikamaru was giving him, not in the slightest.

"No sir, we're just focusing on the teams that have people we think we'd have problems with, like Team Seven." Shikamaru lied, hiding his nerves well.

Inoichi stared him down wolfishly for a full minute before nodding slightly. "They might be a tough bunch if you faced them in the finals. Personally though, I'd fear that Uzumaki kid a lot more than the Uchiha if you see them."

Shikaku nodded in agreement. "Naruto was the dead last in the academy when he graduated, wasn't he?" He asked, looking at Shikamaru.

"Yeah, he couldn't even do a bunshin properly. Why?" Shikamaru asked. Now that Shikamaru thought about it, if you take out Naruto's shadow clones, Naruto probably still couldn't do a bunshin technique.

Shikaku gave him a dull look. "Because he went missing for two months and when he came back, he was strong enough to fend Kakashi off for over twenty minutes."

Shikamaru's widened slightly as his father poked more holes in his elaborate lie.

"I know you have a good understanding of tactics, and I'm fairly certain you know that Kakashi is an S-rank shinobi and is one of the strongest in all of Konoha. So tell me Shikamaru, why are you only planning for Sasuke?"

Shikamaru froze like a deer caught in the headlights. He had absolutely no idea what to say now, he might've been able to at least sell Inoichi a convincing story that Inoichi wouldn't bother to see through, but his father?

No. His father would be able to pick Shikamaru's story apart from any tiny hole that was left.

After a moment of tense silence, Ino spoke on Shikamaru's behalf. "Because he's only one we can really plan for right now. With Naruto gone for over two months, the only intel we have on him is what we saw in the bell test, not nearly enough to come up with a real plan." Ino explained, pleased she came up with that one on the fly.

Inoichi frowned. He could see what Shikaku was doing, the older Nara was trying to change the subject away from Team Ten being in his daughter's room by distracting everyone. 'Sly prick.'

Shikaku nodded at her explanation, a small smirk on his face. "What about the pink haired girl?"

"Sakura?" Shikamaru asked, speaking again. "I'm pretty sure Ino or Choji could handle her one on one if they have to, she's not much of a fighter."

"Maybe at the moment. But have you read up on medics?" Shikaku asked. "While yes, they often do not enter the front lines, when they are forced into combat, they tend to have monstrous strength because of their acute chakra control. I suggest reading up on Senju Tsunade, because if Sakura turns out to be a tenth as powerful as her, than she could probably kill the three of you in a single punch."

"How's that?" Ino asked. It was almost like her and Shikamaru were taking turns speaking. "I mean, Sakura is good at medical ninjutsu and stuff like that, but she is no good in a fight. Saratobi Konohamaru kid might even be able to take her in a straight fight."

"Medics must have acute chakra control. That is essential to becoming a medic." Shikaku explained. "However, the best ones take it to the extreme. They learn how to channel Chakra into their attacks, making their punches hard enough to shatter boulders and earth with complete ease. Tsunade was rumored to be strong enough to break a metal beam in a single blow."

Ino's jaw dropped. 'I have _got _to learn medical ninjutsu!' She thought in wonder.

Inoichi cleared his throat. "Back to the matter at hand..." He said, before his eyes slowly went back to Shikamaru and Choji.

Shikamaru paled while the Akimichi whimpered as Inoichi's eyes bore down on them.

"We're going back downstairs." Inoichi said out of the blue. No one aside from Shikaku understood what he was doing, until Inoichi continued.

"I am trusting you here Choji," Inoichi looked over at the plump boy next to the Nara. "If Shikamaru tries anything, punch him right in the kisser. If you do that, I'll buy you a big juicy steak."

Choji straightened considerably, the fear leaving his bod instantly. "Yes sir." The Akimichi said automatically.

Shikamaru looked over at Choji with betrayal in his eyes, mouthing 'traitor!' at him. Opposite them, Ino was trying to bury her face into her hands in embarrassment.

"What makes you think he'd do anything?" Shikaku asked, giving Inoichi a dry look. "In case you forgot, my son's a Nara. Even if he wanted to, he'd be too much of a lazy ass to do anything with her."

"Gee, thanks dad." Shikamaru deadpanned.

Inoichi ignored the younger Nara and addressed Shikaku. "Just because he's lazy doesn't mean he doesn't know how to pull a move on a girl. Or are you forgetting how many times you did it?"

Team Ten blinked. "My dad... was good with the ladies?"

"Good enough to get your mom, wasn't he?" was Inoichi's only reply. The Yamanaka gave Shikamaru a parting wolf stare before he went back downstairs.

After an awkward moment of silence, Choza lifted Choji up and began to lead him out of the room. " Come on Choji, I need your help making lunch. We're making our signature tacos."

Shikaku watched the two Akimichi leave the room, leaving him, Ino, and Shikamaru. He looked over at his son, a smirk on his face. "You still need to practice at lying."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Get out of here you troublesome old man." He shot back at his father.

Chuckling to himself, Shikaku walked out of the room. "Try not to do anything stupid up here."

Another awkward silence filled the room. Neither Ino nor Shikamaru said anything for a solid minute, before Ino walked to the door and closed it again. "Do you really think Naruto was with Itachi while he was gone?"

Shikamaru wasn't surprised by the angry tone in her voice. What Shikamaru suggested Naruto did was akin to treason, whose to say Naruto's mind hadn't been clouded under Itachi's guidance.

The Nara nodded. "What people forget about Itachi is that he might've been the strongest shinobi Konoha has produced in the last sixteen generations, going all the way back to Konoha's founding. With how fast Naruto has grown stronger, there weren't many plausible options to even begin with." He explained. "Add in the Crow Clones and the Sharingan, and he's literally the only option left."

Ino frowned. "But Itachi is-"

"A murderer, a traitor, and in some people's minds, utterly insane." Shikamaru interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say. "However, he is also patient, skilled, and the only person in all of the elemental nations that could've helped Naruto perfect his sharingan so quickly."

Ino glared at him. "Naruto couldn't of trained under Itachi. He's... Naruto."

Shikamaru knew what Ino was trying to say. Naruto was by no means a saint in the eyes of the villagers, but to those that knew him even in the slightest, Naruto had a heart of gold. He was always willing to help someone in need, he was always so innocent it could've been mistaken for naivety.

"Ino, don't fool yourself." Shikamaru said with finality. "Naruto didn't get that good on his own, you know that. Who else could've made Naruto grow to such a high level?"

Ino didn't respond.

"Come on, we should head downstairs before your dad comes back up here." Shikamaru said, yawning. He went towards the door, but Ino didn't budge. "Ino?"

The blond girl opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She shook her head and brushed past him down the stairs, leaving a very confused Shikamaru behind.

"...Troublesome."

* * *

November 12, early morning

Team Seven was clustered by the front gates of Konoha, bright and early. The sun had not even fully risen yet, but for the three genin it felt as if it never even set.

None of them looked like they slept. Naruto out of excitement and finally being fully healed from his injuries he suffered, Sasuke because of the raven he saw the other night, and Sakura because she was still pondering Naruto's words from the bell test.

_"You can fix whatever we break Sakura, that will never be useless."_

It was such a simple thing to say, but for some reason, it stuck in her head. She wasn't good at fighting, her reserves made it too hard to learn ninjutsu and she was still working on getting more fit to even be able to survive a taijutsu fight.

She was alright at Genjutsu, she could cast them to a degree, but it wasn't exactly easy to use it in the middle of a fight without catching Sasuke and Naruto in it as well.

'I should speak with Kurenai-sensei to see if she'll be able to help me.' Sakura thought, looking over at Sasuke and Naruto.

Another thought began creeping into her mind, making a lump form in her throat. 'But what if I have to fight on this mission? I don't want either of them to have to save me this time...'

While Sakura pondered what to do about getting stronger, Naruto sat on the ground lotus style and meditated. He found that while he meditated, he could hear his thoughts better, and it was easier to speak to the Kyuubi than in the middle of battle.

'Hey fox, I have a question for you!" Naruto spoke to the demon inside his head.

The fox opened one eye and looked at Naruto in a groggy glare. **"The meaning of life has no predefined definition." **He grunted, closing his eye again.

'What?' Naruto looked perplexed. 'That wasn't what I was going to ask!'

**"Gr..." **The nine tails glared at Naruto. His guess was wrong, and now he had to actually wake up. **"Fine, hurry up and ask your question, kit." **The fox lifted up his head and looked at Naruto.

'No need to be a jerk about it.' Naruto thought dryly, momentarily forgetting that the fox could hear his thoughts. The fox gave him a deadpan look and Naruto asked his question.

"What did the Uchiha clan do to you to make you hate them so much?' Naruto asked curiously. He knew this was thin ice for him, the Kyuubi was just as likely to ignore the question and cast a genjutsu on Naruto when he slept than answer it.

Fortunately for him, the genjutsu incident had only happened once.

**"They enslaved** **me..."** The Nine Tailed Fox glared into nothingness. ** "They're part of the reason I'm trapped inside you today, that is what they did to me."**

'But how?' Naruto pressed his luck. 'How did the Uchiha enslaved you? What did they do?'

The fox's eyes flashed crimson, the predatory slits settling on Naruto.** "It was those accursed eyes." **The Kyuubi spat, malice dripping off of his words. **"A Uchiha managed to control me with his sharingan. He went on and used me like a summon... an underling... a ****_weapon!_****" **With every word, the Fox's angry look grew worse, until it suddenly calmed itself down. **"Then... the Valley of the End was created in the wake of a great battle. I thought I was free when the Shodai Hokage was victorious, but it was not so. Instead, my master simply switched from one to another in the form of the Shodai's wife."**

'Wait, what?' Naruto asked, more than a little lost. The fox didn't really explain anything to him. 'There were other jinchuriki before me?'

The fox paused himself, before he nodded. **"The Uchiha did not originally turn one of their own into a jinchuriki, but yes. There have been two jinchuriki before you. The first and easiest to get along with was the Shodai's wife, Uzumaki Mito. She was a kind woman, skilled in the art of healing. My second jinchuriki however was much more of a hassle, like you. Her name was Uchiha Kushina, your mother."**

'I'm not a hassle!' Naruto raised his nose indigently.

**"That's what she said."** The fox grinned at him coyly, proud of his wordplay.

Naruto opened and closed his mouth, settling for glaring at the demon fox. 'Using my own mother's words against me... you really are evil.'

**"And I'm bored." **The Fox shrugged, not phased by Naruto's glare.

After a short staring contest, Naruto relented and slumped in defeat. He wasn't going to get anywhere by glaring at the Kyuubi.

'Why did you go from the Uchiha to the Uzumaki and back to the Uchiha?' Naruto's question brought forth another one from inside the boy's head. 'Hey, do you think my parents named me Uzumaki because of your first jinchuriki?'

**"No." **The nine tailed fox said flatly, the humorous undertone of this conversation dissipating. **"While that may have had a hand in it, it was not why you were named Uzumaki."**

'Then why did they pick Uzumaki instead of sticking with Uchiha or just Namikaze?' Naruto was getting frustrated at the Nine Tails going in circles.

**"To protect you. That's all I will say." **Was the Fox's curt reply.

'...fine.' Naruto conceded. 'Then can you at least explain to me why the village made the Uchiha the current jinchuriki lines after the Shodai's wife?'

**"I can... and it would be to complex for me to explain right now." **Again, the kyuubi's explanation was short. **"All you need to know is that the Nidaime Hokage sought to ensure the Uchiha were over glorified lap dogs for Konohagakure." **

'Why would he do that?' Naruto asked, scrunching his brow in annoyance. That was the second time the Fox declined to tell him what happened.

**"Because he had no other choice in the matter."** The Fox was getting annoyed by Naruto's constant questions.

'There's always a choice.' Naruto paused at his own bad choice of words, seeing the fox give him a blank stare.

**"...Trust me kit," **The fox replied softly. **"There isn't always a choice." **

Having said his piece, the nine tails laid his head back down and closed his eyes, effectively ending their conversation.

Naruto slumped. He was left with more questions than answers by the fox, learning what little he had created hundreds more questions for him.

"I don't know why I bothered to show up on time." He heard Sakura speak, jarring him from his thoughts.

Naruto opened his eyes, and saw the pinkette was looking looked back at her two teammates. Sasuke was brooding as per usual, and of course he himself was sitting on the ground and meditating.

Sakura averted her gaze when Naruto looked at her, and Naruto grimaced. He had not spoken to Team Seven since the bell test, Kakashi forcing the two of them to do a D-rank mission almost all of yesterday while Naruto was recovering.

Now, only days after the bell test, there wasn't a single mark on him. He looked perfectly healthy, and there wasn't a scar on him aside from the one under his right eye.

That one would never go away.

Sakura turned her gaze back to Sasuke, finding the boy had yet to blink while staring at the gates. 'That's a little unnerving... he's never looked so... scary before.'

Sasuke was brooding, a normal everyday thing for him around his team.

However, his pitch black eyes glared a hole straight ahead, rage clouding his eyes at an intensity that startled his teammates. 'I have to get stronger... I refuse to let him be better than me.' Sasuke thought, referring to Naruto.

He couldn't accept it, that Naruto outshone him, _again. _

The supposed dead last of the Academy had saved Sasuke twice now, and it just didn't make sense to the Uchiha. 'He was only gone for two months, what could've possibly of changed to turn Naruto into someone stronger than me?'

Eventually, out of paranoia more than anything, his thoughts went back to the crow he saw the other night and if it was somehow connected to all of this. 'Is it a coincidence? Mere days after Naruto comes back, I see one of Itachi's ravens? It has to be... it has to be...'

While Team Seven was suffering the boredom of a tardy sensei, the two normal gate guards, Kotetsu and Izumo, were back on duty and were laughing to themselves quietly.

"This is what makes this job bearable." Izumo said quietly to his partner, smirking mirthfully. "The one thing I can enjoy on this easy mission."

Kotetsu shook his head. "No, it's bearable because we don't have to do anything." The Chunin disputed. He had a relaxed expression on his face, like he had not a care in the world.

"We do good work by making sure people don't try to come in and burn the village down." Kotetsu's relaxed face turned into a broad grin and he then said. "Plus, we get to eat waffles."

Izumo glanced over at him with a cocked brow, about to say something, when he saw Kotetsu was indeed eating a plate of waffles. "...Where did you even get waffles?" The man asked.

No response.

Izumo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "We're on duty, why are you eating waffles?!" He demanded.

"Because this is the best job ever." Kotetsu said with a mouth full of food.

Izumo scowled, giving Kotetsu a deadpan look that simply screamed 'I will gut you.'

Kotetsu nudged him playfully. "Come on, lighten up Izumo! Nothing ever happens while we're on guard duty." Kotetsu looked back at the suffering teenagers in front of them with a wide smile. "Though we do get to watch Kakashi's brats sit here and suffer."

Naruto glanced over at Kotetsu with a wolf stare, letting his eyes flicker slightly to startle the chunin. "Don't make me throw your waffles in a creek." He glared.

Kotetsu gasped in horror at Naruto, as if the Jinchuriki said he was going to drown a box full of puppies. He grabbed his plate and held towards his chest protectively.

Izumo stared at him incredulously, before palming his face.

The silence resumed its reign on Team Seven for a few more minutes, until again the blond genin decided to break the silence. "So... uh... lovely weather today."

Sakura and Sasuke looked over at him.

'The weather, really?' Naruto silently berated himself. 'At least use something original you moron.'

**"At least you acknowledge it." **The Kyuubi mumbled, half asleep.

'Not the time!' Naruto shouted back.

"...Kind of cloudy if you ask me." Sakura finally responded, glancing at Naruto before staring back at the gate silently.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, not really giving Naruto an answer. He glanced over at Naruto before looking away, still upset about the bell test.

"Yeah... I should've expected that." Naruto cleared his throat and said what he actually wanted to say. "I wanted to say I'm sorry about what I said."

Sakura appreciated the apology, but didn't think it was necessary since he already gave her one.

Sasuke on the other hand, glared back at Naruto. He didn't much care for an apology.

"We're a team, and I threw you guys under the bus..." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "I just wanted to let you guys know I don't blame you for what happened on the bridge, and that I'm sorry about what I said."

Through his entire apology, Naruto kept noticing that Sasuke's eyes were glancing back at Sakura. 'Does he...' He glanced at Sakura himself, seeing the girl remained oblivious, but didn't dare speak what he was thinking. Naruto would have to talk about it with Sasuke in private if the opportunity arose.

"...It's fine Dobe." Sasuke finally said, his jaw clenched. "Just don't do it again... you loudmouth loser."

"Oi! I call foul!" Naruto shouted indigently. "I'm trying to apologize to you guys you jerk! And I am not a loudmouth!" Naruto shouted indigently, his voice unnecessarily rising as he spoke. "I will stomp a mudhole up your-"

"You do realize you're only proving my point." Sasuke interrupted.

Naruto steamed across from him, half tempted to run over to the other boy and throttle him. Sasuke began smirking to himself, while going back to silently looking at the road ahead of them.

Silence once more sounded through Team Seven's ears as minutes crawled on by and slowly turned into hours. It was almost lunch time and yet there was still no sign of Kakashi.

"WHERE IS HE?" Naruto bellowed, his voice echoing through the entire village yet not even affecting his teammates.

As if summoned by Naruto's voice, Hatake Kakashi appeared in a poof of smoke between his three students with an amused eyesmile on his face. "Yo."

Sakura groaned and palmed her face, while Sasuke's eye twitched while looking at his sensei. Naruto had a flabbergasted look on his face, and looked like he was resisting the urge to smack himself.

Kakashi gave an eyesmile and began to give his excuse. "Sorry, my alarm clock was broken-"

"Kaka-sensei..." Sakura interrupted, her hand still on her face. "Let's just get going." Her two teammates nodded in agreement, which made Kakashi sweatdrop.

"Right... The client is going to be meeting us in a small town and isn't expecting us to be there until the 15th, so we can either rush over there or go at a slower pace." Kakashi said, leaping down to the ground where his genin were before he spoke louder. "Naruto, run or walk?"

"Walk." Naruto shrugged, still giving Kakashi a dirty look. "If we run there, we'll be tired and not at our peaks. Also, we can make it there if we jog on and off in about four days."

"Good choice." Kakashi nodded approvingly, immune to the looks his squad was giving him still. "But just to let you know, when we get to Kusa," Kakashi's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'm going to start teaching you the Rasengan."

Naruto blinked before realizing what Kakashi had said. Any contempt on Naruto's face vanished. "Nope, never mind! We are going to run like the devil himself is chasing us!" Naruto hollered. "Move it teme!" Naruto ran off in the general direction of Kusa, bulldozing Sasuke out of the way in the process and running as fast as he could down the path.

"..." Kakashi gave an amused smile beneath his mask.

"Naruto, get back here!" Sakura yelled at Naruto.

She stamped her foot and glared over at Kakashi "Urgh! You told him you'd teach him that move just so this would happen!" The Kunoichi yelled at him.

"...I might have." Kakashi said with an eyesmile. "But you two heard Naruto, run like the devil is chasing you." Kakashi told them, before darted after Naruto.

Sakura just gapped at her sensei like he was a lunatic, while Sasuke pulled his face out of the ground.

Sasuke spat the dirt from his mouth, glaring in the direction Naruto ran. "I am going to _kill _dobe if we're actually running all the way there." He growled, standing up. "Come on Sakura, let's go before they leave us behind."

The two chased after Kakashi and Naruto, barely able to keep them in sight.

As Team Seven departed, Kotetsu and Izumo kept grinning. They had their fill of amusement for awhile.

"You know, we should go see if we could take a mission after this." Izumo looked over at Kotetsu.

Kotetsu shook his head in disagreement. "They don't give us free waffles on missions." He put a second plate back down on the table, next to his first one.

"True." Izumo conceded. "But you still haven't told me, where are you getting waffles from?"

"He keeps stealing _my _waffles from the Jonin lounge." A voice said behind them.

The two chunin turned around slowly, the color draining from their faces. When they finished turning, they found themselves looking at one Mitarashi Anko smiling down sweetly at them while twirling a kunai in her fingers. "Now... L'eggo my Eggo!"

* * *

November 12, afternoon.

"Naruto, slow down!" Sakura called out once again to the orange clad ninja running in front of Team Seven.

She was completely winded at this point, never having to run this fast or this far in her entire life. The grueling marathon had span for dozens of miles now, the sun having inched across the sky as time crawled by.

Sasuke wasn't doing much better either. While he had the speed to initially keep up, with Naruto and Kakashi, he lacked the sheer stamina of a jonin and the jinchuriki. He fell back with Sakura, just keeping the two in his sight.

If Naruto heard the pinkette, he gave no indication. His eyes were straight ahead, brimming with excitement and determination. He was eager to begin learning his father's jutsu, to grow stronger.

In Kakashi's mind, Naruto appeared to be too eager. 'Teaching Naruto the Rasengan is more risky than when I taught Sasuke the Chidori.' He thought. 'I was able to show Sasuke how to make it and let him copy it, and only had to teach him how to add power behind it. With the Rasengan, Naruto has to start from scratch, and if he messes up even once in the process, he'll be nothing but a stain on the ground.'

The copy ninja glanced up at the sun, finding that it was well on its way back down to set. He grabbed Naruto's arm and began to slow down.

"We're going to rest here Naruto, stop running." He told the genin, coming to a stop.

Naruto hit his mental brakes and stopped running, his feet kicking up dirt. His two teammates praised Kami as they slowed down to jog over to where Naruto and Kakashi were.

"Alright, we've covered a substantial amount of ground." Kakashi looked around the land around them. 'By substantial, I mean we're a full two days ahead of where I thought we'd be by now.'

Trees dotted the landscape around them, but they were too far apart for them to run across. "So, we can rest here until morning before resuming."

_"Until morning?"_ Naruto looked at Kakashi in horror.

Kakashi nodded, before plopping down into a sitting position. "Til morning." He affirmed. "We weren't supposed to get this far until Wednesday, we're two whole days ahead of schedule." Kakashi reached for his book, when Sasuke spoke.

"Sensei, what exactly are we supposed to do until morning? The only way we can train out here is by sparring, and I don't think that's a good idea." The Uchiha said.

Naruto scoffed at him. "Because we both know I'd win." He smirked over at the last Uchiha playfully.

"In your dreams, maybe." Sasuke shot back, biting back a scathing look. "But showing up to a client's place covered in bruises might not be the best look we could give them."

Kakashi sighed and closed his book back up, stuffing it away in his flak jacket. "I could tell you an old story about how Asuma managed to get Kurenai to chase after him with a baseball bat for over an hour." He offered.

"Sounds entertaining, but pass." Naruto shrugged. "I want to learn how to make a Rasengan!"

"I told you, I'll start teaching it to you the first chance I get, _when we get there._" Kakashi stressed the last part.

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted.

Kakashi looked over at the resident kunoichi of the team. "Sakura, your thoughts?" The Copycat looked over at the pink haired girl, who was currently curled up into a ball and rocking back and forth.

"Never again." She murmured. "I never want to run again..."

"Er..." Kakashi sweat dropped at that, because there was absolutely no way that was going to happen. He started to think about what he could do to pass the time, when another idea came to him. "I could tell you guys an old legend about Konoha's shared history with Kusa."

"... meh, nothing better to do right?" Naruto sat down and looked at him expectantly. History was the only subject Naruto could say he somewhat enjoyed, he wanted to know who it was he was trying to be better than anyway.

Sakura's eyes lit up, not for joy but because that meant she didn't have to keep running.

And Sasuke... was being Sasuke.

'Would've thought they wanted to hear about Asuma getting pummeled but oh well.' Kakashi mentally shrugged. "Back in the warring states period, when Konohagakure didn't exist and bloody battles occurred daily across the continent, existed a clan called the Supaida." Kakashi began.

"The Supaida clan were an offshoot of the Uchiha clan, though the lineage was murky and they could not produce a sharingan eye. Because of this, they lacked the skill to be truly competent as a mercenary clan and instead, forged the weapons predominately used by their cousins, the Uchiha."

All the talk of the Uchiha got Sasuke's attention, and he paid more attention.

"Because the Uchiha were considered one of the greatest clans alongside the Senju, this gained them their status as one of the greatest forgery clans in the world. However, there was one clan that rivaled them in more ways than one, making the weapons used by the Senju. This clan was the Uzumaki."

Now Naruto sat up straighter, the Uzumaki were the clan he was named after, so he felt a connection to them.

"Eventually, a dispute came to be about who was better than the other as it always does. Other prominent clans, like the Hyūga inadvertently fueled the dispute into a feud, using weapons made by both clans."

Kakashi noticed Sakura had poked her head up to show that to this point she was listening to his tale. "Aren't the Hyūga related to the Uchiha clan?"

The copy ninja nodded. "They were, to the same extent as the Senju were if not lesser. The Hyūga clan are believed to be indirect dependents of the Sage of Six Paths, as were the Uzumaki through their relation to the Senju. However, both the Senju and the Uchiha were directly related to him if you believe the old legends." Kakashi explained.

"The Supaida was formed when a Uchiha woman fell in love and married a common farmer, and they they settled in Kusagakure while the rest of the Uchiha went off to continue their rivalry with the Senju. Over time, the civilian gene diluted the sharingan, to the point any Uchiha distinction was lost to them except through their continued trade with the Uchiha." At this, Kakashi glanced at Naruto. It was unspoken, and no one on Team Seven even noticed him do it.

'It's also why it was so surprising to hear you unlocked a sharingan.' He thought, before clearing his throat and returning his eyes to Sakura. 'The Sharingan is a recessive trait, it shouldn't have appeared for you at all.'

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Now that that is out of the way, shush. I'm telling a story."

Kakashi resumed his tale. "A few hundred years later, Konohagakure was eventually founded by the heads of both the Senju and Uchiha clans, our first Hokage Senju Hashirama and then clan head Uchiha Madara. The two decided to reach out to the Hyūga clan to make a friendly wager. As the Hyūga used both clans weaponry, Madara and the Shodai Hokage invited them to the village to answer their age old question about their relatives. Who was the better forger?"

"And the Uzumaki won, right?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi held up a finger and silenced him. "The Hyūga wrote back a few weeks later, and stated that they simply couldn't answer the question, because they were both on par with each other. Neither Madara or the Shodai believed them, so they convinced the Hyūga clan head to come to Konoha and show them. The Hyūga clan brought two of their finest swords, one crafted by the Uzumaki and one crafted by the Supaida, to Konoha to show them both in a contest of which one was the better weapon."

"The Shodai and Madara also invited both clan head of the Uzumaki and the Supaida respectively to watch the contest with them. The head of the Hyūga clan had his twin sons unsheathe their respective weapons to show that they were authentic to the eyes of the Supaida and the Uzumaki. Both clan heads acknowledged which weapon was crafted by them, and let the contest proceed."

Kakashi had both Sasuke and Naruto listening with anticipation, expecting their respective clans (Though Naruto was apart of both, he was rooting for the Uzumaki.) to have had the better weaponry. Sakura was sitting up as well, listening in fascination.

"The Hyūga clan head then stepped forward. 'Both of my sons possess Wind natured chakra, and are equally skilled with it. They will each take one swing into a tree, and show you the results.' He explained to them. The first son, in possession of a Katana of three feet long made by the Supaida, walked up to a thick oak tree. He unsheathed his sword, and channeling wind chakra through his weapon, he swung it once as his father said he would do."

"The oak tree fell to the ground, cut clean in half. Both Madara and the clan head of the Supaida smiled, while the Shodai and the Uzumaki clan head frowned. The first son sheathed his sword and stepped back to stand to the left of his father, while the second son stepped forward. He was possessing a Katana of equal length made by the Uzumaki clan. The second son stepped up to a tree of the same size as the fallen oak tree, and unsheathed his sword. As his brother did moments before, he channel wind chakra through the sword and swung it only once into his tree. Again, like his brother's strike moments earlier, it cut the tree clean in half and made the tree fall over. The Shodai Hokage was pleased by this, however the Uzumaki clan head kept his frown."

"He looked at the clan head of the Hyūga and asked 'So which sword won? They both made the same cut with similar swords and had the same result.' At this, the Supaida clan head noticed the Uzumaki clan head was right."

"The Hyūga looked at them calmly and replied 'It is as I tried to tell Madara-sama and Hashirama-sama earlier, there is no winner because it's too hard to tell.'"

"So then, it was all pointless." Sasuke scoffed, interrupting. "No one won the contest."

Kakashi glared at Sasuke. "Hush." he ordered. "I'm still not done yet, wait until the end."

Clearing his throat, Kakashi once again jumped back into the story. "The Shodai Hokage came up with an idea, to truly see which clan were the better forgers. 'The two of you shall make the sharpest blade you can make, and present it here within six months. Spend ample time perfecting this weapon, and may the best clan win."

"Six months later, they all returned to the spot of the old contest. The Hyūga clan had joined Konoha in the span of the time it took to make the two new weapons, and the Hyuga clan head joined the contest as an unbiased judge."

" The Supaida clan produced an axe of elegant design, made of pure silver and stainless steel mixed together. Of the two weapons, it was by far the prettier weapon of the two, as well as larger."

"The Supaida clan head held the axe up for inspection, before he moved in front of the trees. 'With this, I can cut through three trees in one swing.' He boasted, not channeling any chakra through it before swinging the axe. Indeed, three trees fell under the attack, just as he boasted."

"The Uzumaki clan head then stepped forward, holding a normal looking Katana. The only unique trait of the blade was the unknown metal used to craft it. It's handle was a dark crimson, and it bore an ordinary black sheathe. It was not only smaller than the Supaida clan's axe, but less elegant to the eyes."

"Of course Dobe's clan would suck up something so bad." Sasuke spoke again, making Naruto give him the evil eye.

"Bite me, Sasuke!" Naruto shot back.

Kakashi chuckled to himself. "The Uzumaki clan head looked back at the three and said 'If I were you, I'd back up.' before he unsheathed his sword, and marched up to the nearest tree. Intrigued by his confidence, the Hyūga clan head activated his Byakugan and noticed he also didn't channel chakra through his weapon. They watched him swing the Katana only once, surprised when five trees fell under the blade. Upon further examination, five more trees were shown to have deep cuts in them from the blade, yet had not even been touched by the sword."

Sasuke gapped like a fish when he heard that, while Naruto fist pumped beside him, proud of his clan showing Sasuke's relatives up.

"The Supaida clan pointed at him and cried 'Cheater! you must've used chakra!' However, the Hyūga clan head shook his head. 'He did not cheat. I watched with my Byakugan, he did not add chakra through his blade.' The clan head announced. Enraged, the Supaida clan head charged at the Hyūga clan head, who though was ready to defend himself, did not have to. The Uzumaki clan head stepped in the path, swinging his sword in a vertical arc. The sword cut straight through the axe of the Supaida clan, as well as cut a deep gash through the Supaida clan head's armor."

"The Uzumaki clan held the Katana to the Supaida clan head's throat. The Supaida clan head looked to Madara for support, but received nothing but a blank stare. Without speaking a word, the Uzumaki clan head impaled the blade into the Supaida clan head's throat, killing him."

"After the contest, no one has seen a member of the Supaida clan since. It was rumored that the fled from Konoha all the way back to Kusa, and are plotting their revenge on Konoha as a whole for their perceived betrayal."

"Sensei... what happened to the Katana?" Naruto asked. After such a tale, he wasn't certain what to think of either of his clans. He was a Uchiha through his mother's line, however he was named Uzumaki and thus, felt a connection with them as well.

Kakashi looked at his student. "No one knows. After the contest, when the Shodai Hokage asked the clan head of the Uzumaki to make the village weapons like it, the Uzumaki clan head denied his request and said 'A weapon such as this in the wrong hands can cause mass destruction, I will not sell any of these weapons. This katana will remain with my people to protect them should the need ever arise.' However, in the first shinobi war, Kumo attempted to steal the weapon to see if they could replicate it, the Uzumaki clan fought them to a standstill using guerilla tactics. Having to fight Konoha on one front and then dragging the Uzumaki into actual combat on another was against Kumo's interests, so they deciding the weapon wasn't worth fighting for and leveled the entire island as a whole and, slaughtering all but a few clan members of the Uzumaki. To this day, the sword has never been recovered."

Naruto fell silent at that, not knowing what to say. How powerful would a weapon have to be to cause a genocide like that? And where did it go?

"Of course, this is more of a myth than anything, no one is certain that such a contest even took place." Kakashi pulled his orange book back out, his story having been finished. "The only thing that is certain is that Kumo destroyed Uzu, and the Supaida clan is either dead or hiding."

Having said that, he pulled out the book from his jacket again and left his genin to their thoughts.

The minutes ticked by awkwardly for them, no one knowing what to do.

"So... uh, hey Sakura, you got anything we can do?" Naruto looked over at his female teammate hopefully.

She smiled tiredly at the question. "Yeah... sleep." With that, she let her head fall back down and was out like a light.

"It's not even four yet!" Naruto whined. "...Damn it. Teme, you got anything?" Naruto looked over at Sasuke, finding that he had the same idea as Sakura.

"Prick..."

* * *

Black.

It was all around him, covering his entire field of vision. His head was swimming, his whole body ached something furious.

Uchiha Itachi's eyes fluttered open, finding himself in a bland white room laying on a cream colored bed. His chest felt as if an elephant had stepped on him, his arms and legs already shattered under the weight.

Itachi could also feel bandages wrapped around his right arm and right above his left knee, as well as a homemade splint on his right ankle. In addition, a thicker bandage was wrapped around his torso, particularly around his ribs.

'Where am I...?' He wondered, before wincing. The sound of his own voice in his head stung.

Itachi rubbed his eyes to try and dull the throbbing pain pulsing through his skull, before pushed the covers off of him.

To his dismay, he found that he was stripped to his boxers, and that he still had several uncovered bruises lining his person.

The Raven of the Uchiha slowly lowered his feet to the ground, putting his weight on his left leg since his right was in a splint. Itachi bit his lip as his muscles screamed at him to sit back down, feeling as if he hadn't moved for years.

He put his hand against the wall, bracing himself so he wouldn't fall down and hurt himself further.

"What happened?" He mumbled aloud, his voice hoarse. Itachi limped slowly towards the door, opening it slowly and soundlessly.

It was instinctive for him to act cautiously when in an unknown area, especially after a fight.

However, he wasn't in any immediate danger from opening the door, finding nothing more than a simple white hallway, with a bathroom to his right and a locked door to his left.

Itachi could faintly hear rain hitting the roof overhead, and from the distant window in what would have been the living room could barely see the village of Amegakure outside.

'I'm still in the Rain village...' Itachi thought, continuing to limp out of the door and down the hall.

He heard something steaming ahead of him and slightly to the right, where light was flicked on and the beige carpet turned into grey tiling.

Itachi could hear the person in the kitchen cooking, but he didn't move on it. Sure, he was a former Anbu captain and could probably take them if he was fully healthy, but given that he could barely even open a door in his current condition he wasn't sure he could take on a newborn baby right now.

Instead, he inched closer to the kitchen so he could hopefully see the face of whoever it was that saved him. He wanted to know if he should thank them or kill them in their sleep.

Before he got close, Itachi heard a voice calling in the kitchen. "Itachi, you should be resting. Sasori's poison still has some lingering affects on your system."

Itachi was confused, until he noticed his shadow was farther down the hall than him. 'Stupid lighting...' he backed up a step.

A figure came out of the kitchen, showing Itachi their face.

Itachi was confused beyond belief now, firmly believing this was a genjutsu or something and not reality. "Nagato is currently delegating with the new Mizukage in Kiri, he won't be back for another week." The person told him lightly.

"Until then, you are on bed rest. Come on." They told him, gently leading him back to the room Itachi was resting in.

"You saved me?" Itachi found that his voice was not horse but slurred. If he had to guess, it was likely from whatever painkillers were coursing through his system at the moment.

"I did." They said gently, leading him back inside his room. The person led Itachi through the open doorway to where he awoke and gently pulled him towards the bed. "I saved you so you can help me later... but for now I need you to rest."

Itachi didn't need to be told twice, flopping unceremoniously onto the bed face first.

"The painkillers should wear off in a few days, then we can talk Itachi." The figure said, not sure if the Uchiha could even hear them at the moment before putting the blanket over him.

"Fair enough..." Itachi mumbled sleepily, not loud enough for his savior to hear him.

Not a moment later, the darkness crept over him again and he fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

So, here's the chapter for you guys. I'll admit that I've had to force myself to write parts of this chapter because life is catching up with me right now (I got a summer job, fell behind on schoolwork, took the writing SOL, and I made the delightful discovery of finding out the girl I like has known I liked her for over a year. All in a month.) Whatever you guys do, don't forget the _wonderful_ adventures you end up having in high school.

And certainly don't forget to review!


	8. Blood Without Gore

Disclaimer: I do not Naruto or Naruto: Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

November 14, early morning

Once more Itachi awoke in the cream colored bed, his body still sore and his mind clouded. However, unlike before, this time he was relieved of the horrible migraine he had the last time he awoke.

The Raven of the Uchiha groaned and sat up on the bed, wiping his eyes with his hands. He let his hands drop and swung his legs to the side of the bed, trying to stand up.

When his feet touched the floor, Itachi felt the same home-made splint wrapped around his ankle, preventing it from moving. He kept as much weight off it as he could while limping out of the room, seeming slightly more relaxed but still on guard.

'I could've been placed under a genjutsu, I do not know if what I saw earlier was real or a delusion.' He thought, placing his left hand against the wall to steady himself as he walked.

He kept leaning against the wall until it gave way to a much larger room, the wall cutting away from him.

"Good morning, Itachi."

Itachi's eyes settled in front of him, towards the living room. Once again, the walls remained a white color, though there was a black and white painting of a tree placed between A large television and an arm chair on the far wall. Directly beneath the painting was a small oak book shelf, while the TV laid in the far left corner, so that the whole room was able to see it.

The wall on the far right was hardly more than a large closed window with the pale blue curtains pulled over its snowy white frames, shading the room and giving it some hint of color. In front of the window but not pressed against it was a leather love seat aimed towards the TV, with the middle of the love seat being a counter top with two cup holders in between them.

And nearest to him was the largest of the three couches, made of the same leather material as the other two. On the sides were cup holders for drinks, while the middle remained empty for plates of food and the like. In the center of the room bringing it all together, was a brown coffee table, stacks of paper and an origami rose resting in the bottom left corner.

Itachi's savior currently sat on the left side of the love seat, sipping on a cup of coffee. Their eyes glanced at him when he arrived, but she had yet to speak.

"Konan." The Uchiha greeted her with a blank face.

The blue haired woman set her coffee cup on the table, then muted her TV. "I see you are awake."

'And still practically naked.' Itachi added in his mind, noting that he was still only wearing his boxers. "I am." He said aloud. "How long was I out?"

"Four days." Konan answered after a moment of silence.

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction, not wanting to believe that. 'Four days? I lost four entire days I could've used to take out the others because of one fight?' He thought to himself.

"Nagato will not be returning from Suna for another three days." The Paper Angel informed him. "Until then, you are welcomed to continue your recovery here."

"Thank you, Konan." Itachi said, before asking the elephant in the room. "But I do wish to know why you saved my life instead of killing me, or even leaving me to bleed out."

"So that you will owe me a favor." Konan stated plainly.

"A favor?" The Raven repeated curiously.

"Yes, a favor." Konan nodded. "You see, Nagato was not always as he is now. He once had compassion and was a kind-hearted man, hating violence and warfare with a burning passion."

"That was a long time ago by the way you're talking." Itachi stated. "Besides, now he not only supports violence and warfare, he's trying to bring it about by slaughtering thousands. Has he even considered if his plan backfired?"

Konan's expression remained relaxed. "He has considered it, that's why he's doing it. No one can stop the monster he plans to make, not Suna, not Kumo, not even Konoha would have the strength to even slow it down."

"And if two nations worked together?" Itachi asked. "Then he managed to unite two countries, but what about the others?"

"We are getting off topic." Konan sighed. It was another way of saying she didn't have an answer to that question. "The point in me telling you this, is because I think we can make him see what he used to see when he looked at the world."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Make him see what he used too? What does that mean?"

"I want him to be stopped." Konan explained more simply. "I want to prevent the deaths of thousands of people, so that we can find a more peaceful solution to world peace. However, I don't want to kill Nagato, I want him to stand with me to find peace."

Itachi remained silent. While noble, it was foolhardy to take that route, at least in his eyes.

He couldn't accept these terms, not the way they were. . It wasn't that he was being selfish, if he was he would've he was being sensible. "I understand that Nagato is a close friend of yours, one that you have known since you were a child, but that man died long ago." The Raven said. "He's beyond saving Konan, what he plans to do is a crime even more heinous than the ones I have committed."

"...I know I'm asking for much, but I do not want him to die." Konan replied, giving a sigh of defeat. "If given the chance... or if he pleads for mercy... I don't want to bury another one of my friends."

"I can understand that." Itachi nodded.

The Paper Angel stared at Itachi, amber eyes trying to pierce through coal black. "Spare him." She said simply. "That is my favor."

"I can't make that promise, but what I will try none the less." Itachi stated. "But before we begin this alliance, I have one last thing I need to do."

Konan raised an eyebrow, and awaited his response.

"I need to see Orochimaru."

* * *

November 15, early morning

After Kakashi's tale, the rest of the journey to Kusa had proven be rather boring to Naruto.

Not only had Kakashi decided to delay teaching Naruto the Rasengan for until they all got to their destination, he didn't let Naruto train on breaks, didn't make Team Seven go any faster than half speed, and he even prevented them from sparring with one another.

So right now, Naruto was forced to walk at a brisk pace behind Kakashi and in front of Sakura, letting Sasuke watch their backs.

It was horribly boring, but he was still getting a little stronger at the very least thanks to upping his gravity seals to heavier weights, using level twos already for his legs and going up to halfway on level one with his arms.

'Over a hundred pounds on both my legs, and fifty on each arm. The extra weight'll make me even faster on my feet, and punch a lot harder.' Naruto grinned madly at the thought of socking Sasuke in the face, almost childishly.

Kakashi led the three genin towards their destination, a cautious eye darting around every rock and crevice.

Naruto didn't really pay attention to it, he assumed that it was just because last time they left the safety of Konoha they were attacked.

Kakashi stopped them all in a small clearing, a log laying off to the side. "We'll stop and rest here for fifteen minutes, before we finish the last leg of our trip." The Copycat Ninja stated.

Naruto immediately made for the log and plopped down in front of it, resting his head against it.

Sasuke ignored him all together and sat down on the ground, looking up at the sky in boredom, while Sakura sat in between the two on the tree stump.

With nothing to do, each of the three genin sat and pondered how they'd fair if the Chunin exams began today.

Sasuke was more than confident in his abilities as a shinobi, whether it was arrogance or the truth wasn't up to him to decide. He wasn't at much of a intangible fighter like Naruto, who relied more on speed than anything to win a fight. Instead, Sasuke fought more strategically. He used a well balanced attack of Ninjutsu and taijutsu, and added in by using his surroundings to his advantage. He also began expanding his moves by watching old tapes of a guy not much older than Sasuke was now fighting in the chunin exams, named Uchiha Shisui.

The fights varied in skill level, going from two different finals from Chunin exams, to three more from the guy's Jonin exams. He also had dozens of more fights that were between other various Uchiha, recorded for the younger generation's use.

Sakura was concerned with how weak she was physically, but she was still confident that she would grow stronger every day. Her true strength were her abilities in the medical arts and a bag of tricky genjutsu attacks. They weren't going to break an opponent, she hadn't learned any of those kinds of attacks yet, but they were great distractions if they had to be used.

Still, she was going to talk to Kakashi about learning more genjutsu when the mission was over. She would do it now, but given how excited Naruto was about learning this 'Rasengan' move, she didn't want to slow down his already monumental progress.

Naruto felt that he more than prepared for the Chunin exams, but still felt he had a lot of work to do if he was to really shine as a shinobi. His taijutsu was decent enough to get by in a shinobi's life, but he relied too much on his speed and not enough on his strength to win up close. He lacked any real knockout power, something he hoped the Rasengan would remedy. His Ninjutsu was going to be fine, he knew more combat jutsus than most chunin and even some jonin did anyway.

Genjutsu was a different animal though. While he had learned how to detect it and how to defend against it, it wasn't good enough. While he could 'defend' it, he would be helpless against someone who was a little better than genin level.

"Kami take it!" The jinchuriki suddenly yelped out, shattering the trains of thought the other two genin had.

Sasuke and Sakura looked over at him to watch Naruto whacking the back of his neck with an open hand repeatedly.

The scarred jinchuriki wiped his neck off, throwing a now squished spider off of him. "Why are they only coming after me!" Naruto cried out deliriously, this time swatting the ground next to him and killing another one.

Ever since they had entered Kusa's borders, spiders had been attacking Naruto every time Team Seven stopped.

"Maybe because they just hate your guts." Sasuke said, still not even looking at Naruto. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not, his insults were more spiteful lately, yet at the same time, lazy.

The blond glared at Sasuke, growling "Piss off Teme!" Naruto looked down at the ground in front of him and crushed a third spider under the palm of his hand.

"Gah!" Naruto screamed out deliriously, swatting his arms and legs and stomping down on the ground in front of him. "You little pricks! Screw you all!"

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes while Naruto practically declare war on the spiders, the blond boy stomping and swearing at the arachnids like a man possessed. 'So much for being more mature.'

Sakura was having similar thoughts about the blond boy. 'And here I was thinking Naruto was more mellow than before. Guess he learned some new words while he was away.' Sakura thought dryly, cracking a smile of amusement as she listened to Naruto rant and rave while stomping on the ground like a child not getting his way.

However, the amusement died down moments later, as right when Naruto was about to use a fireball jutsu and burn the surrounding grasslands, Kakashi gave him a curt order. "Naruto, don't waste your chakra."

Naruto looked back at Kakashi in confusion. 'Why would Kakashi be so against it, he helped me burn them last time.'

Kakashi saw Naruto's confused eyes, and stood up. "Just... trust me on this one."

'I can't shake this feeling...' The Copycat Ninja thought, his eyes scanning the area around them again.

He felt that Team Seven was being watched, as if someone was stalking them like a tiger did to its prey. "Come on, breaks over."

'That was a quick fifteen minutes.' Sasuke thought with a frown, standing up. There was no way that was fifteen minutes, but he wasn't going to call Kakashi on something so trivial.

Team Seven started to travel again, with Kakashi leading the genin to their destination, Sasuke taking the front this time and Naruto ending up in the back.

Glancing up at the sky, Naruto tried to determine what the time of day was, having started to learn about how to do it from the Kyuubi. 'It's around 8 o'clock... I think?'

**"It's 8:44 AM." **The Nine tails mumbled in his sleep, only Naruto able to hear him like usual.

Naruto scowled. 'Close enough.'

Team Seven walked down the dirt road for about half an hour before they eventually found themselves at a moderately sized village, roughly the same size as the village of Wave.

Behind the village was a large river, snaking its way towards the horizon one way and out of sight in the other. Smaller, thinner streams branched off of it, going in various directions.

The sight of water made each member of Team Seven slightly nervous, the last mission they had where a body of water was located did not end well.

Still, there was another odd detail that concerned them more than a river.

Kakashi narrowed his eye suspiciously. "Where is everyone? This place looks abandoned.' The Jonin narrowed his lone eye, hearing a feint sound of a window banging open and closed.

"There's no one here." Sakura said out loud, looking around the town. The wind picked up and turned into a gust, making the window in the distance crash loudly against the wall. "It's a ghost town here, as if everyone left years ago."

Naruto walked a little further into the town, braced for anything. His nose was more sensitive than the others, not as much as an Inuzuka but enough for him to smell the scent of blood.

And lots of it.

'I really don't like this,' Naruto thought to himself. While he could smell the gallons of blood that had been spilled, he couldn't see a single drop of blood, let alone a corpse. 'It's really freaky.'

**"This is disturbing even to me." **The Kyuubi muttered, sounding on edge. **"Blood is thick in the earth here, yet... not one grave or body to be found for miles around. And..."** The fox trailed off, before he said words that sent dread crawling down his throat.

**"is that killing intent?" **The fox asked, almost sounding impressed. **"It's potent even to me, but not being targeted at us."**

Naruto looked around the village again, now growing worried. Killing intent was not something that you could really aim, at least not to his knowledge. It would take a decade of nonstop training just to grow enough for the nine tails to call it potent, but to direct it solely at something?

That should have been nothing above impossible.

**"The intent vanished. Now there is just the smell of death filling the air." **The fox spoke again, letting Naruto relax slightly. While death was still a terrible thing to sense, it was better than killing intent.

"Anything Naruto?" Kakashi asked, calling him back to reality.

The scarred jinchuriki shook his head. "Nothing. Just..." He trailed off, his teammates weren't aware of any of Naruto's abnormalities, such as the acute hearing and a sensitive nose that he received as being the jinchuriki of the Nine Tails.

He couldn't just well tell them all that he smelled a lot of blood.

Fortunately, Kakashi himself was aware of the enhanced senses Naruto had, and understood the grim look on his face. "Right, we'll find the villagers better if we split up." The Copy Ninja said, making Naruto shake his head in disagreement behind the other two.

Kakashi ignored Naruto's disagreement with his idea, and continued to speak on teams. "Sasuke and Naruto, you two will check the western areas. Don't go to far, five miles at the most so that you can be back here by sundown."

The Jonin took a slight pause before continuing. "If you two come across the village, I want you Naruto to send a shadow clone to find me and await my arrival." Kakashi ordered. "Don't make contact with the villagers until I am there. If I or Sakura should find it, then I'll send a clone to fetch the two of you."

Naruto sighed to himself. While he was against splitting up, he was going to trust Kakashi's judgment on this one. "Hai Kakashi-sensei, let's roll Sasuke!"

The Jinchuriki darted off, not bothering to check and see if Sasuke actually followed after him. If he had, he would've saw the Uchiha roll his eyes at Naruto's enthusiasm, and followed after him.

The two genin darted off to the left of the village, leaving Sakura with Kakashi. 'I hope nothing like what happened in Wave happens here.' She gulped at the thought, unsure if she'd be anymore help than she was last time.

The Copy Ninja's fist clenched unnoticeably as he gave the village around them a once over. "Come on Sakura, we're checking the eastern areas."

With that said, the two took off to the east.

* * *

An hour later

With Sakura and Kakashi

'I don't like this.' Kakashi frowned, leaping down from the tree he was using as a vantage point. 'Aside from all the spider webs, there hasn't been a sign of the villagers.'

"Anything Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked from her place on the ground. Kakashi refused to let her out his sight, something that annoyed her.

The Copycat shook his head. "No. Nothing I can see."

The pinkette sighed in defeat, not knowing what else they could do aside from wander around and hope they found it. However, she felt a sudden pulse blow past her, putting her on edge.

"What was that?" She asked after a moment.

Kakashi looked at her, perplexed. "You could feel that?" He asked in surprise. 'That was a high level sensory jutsu I copied from a man in Anbu, I'm impressed she could even feel it.'

"Yeah, it was like a gust of wind, but the air wasn't moving." Sakura clarified. "It kind of felt like chakra."

Kakashi nodded. "That's because it was chakra. What you felt was a high level sensory jutsu I got earlier in my ninja career, named the Chakura no Basho Jutsu." Kakashi said. "If you want, I could teach it to you. It shouldn't be that hard for you, with your precision with chakra control so high."

Sakura blinked. "Sur-I mean yes sensei." She fumbled with her words, a little surprised. Wasn't Kakashi going to teach Naruto the Rasengan?

'It won't interfere with teaching Naruto the Rasengan by much, especially with her precision. She should have it down well enough to begin practice on her own in an hour, and have mastered it by the end of next year.' Kakashi thought.

"Alright, it's not complicated to perform, but first you must focus chakra into your mind." The Copycat instructed her.

"Right." Sakura focused, closing her eyes. After a few moments, she managed to clear her head and gather chakra into her mind.

The Jonin continued to teach her the steps to perform the Chakura no Basho Jutsu. "When you have enough chakra, focus it into the shape of a ball inside your mind. It helps to hold your breath until you get the hang of it."

Sakura took a minute to do so, before she exhaled and resumed breathing normally again. "Okay."

'She's getting the hang of it a lot faster than I thought she would.' Kakashi smiled proudly. 'Forget mastering it in a year, she'll have it mastered in a couple months at this rate. Why didn't I teach her this sooner?'

"Alright, now is I want you to take that condensed ball of chakra, and start trying to condense it." Kakashi said. "Make it grow smaller and smaller, but remain as full as when you started. You'll hear a small pop in your ears and be able to sense life energy as well as chakra-"

Kakashi felt a pulse go through him, abruptly ending his instruction. His eye widened in surprise, she shouldn't have been able to perform it with such ease.

"I did it!" Sakura cheered, an elated smile on her face. "I could sense the fish in the river, and the birds flying overhead, even your chakra sensei!"

"You got that far easier than I did, and I have a sharingan to copy jutsu with." Kakashi told her with an eye smile. "But tell me, when you felt my chakra, what did it feel like?"

"I don't know... it kind of felt like a magnet." Sakura said after a moment of thought. "But I could also feel really strong heat, like a bonfire along with something... else. They were way over where Naruto and Sasuke are."

Kakashi stared at her. "You can sense _that _far away?" he gapped at her like a fish.

"Uh..." Sakura backed up a step. She was not used to seeing Kakashi so proud of something she did. "sensei-"

"They were where Naruto and Sasuke were because they _were _Naruto and Sasuke!" He continued to speak proudly. "We're at least half a mile away from the town, and they're probably about as far as us! And..." Kakashi's excitement suddenly died down, further confusing Sakura.

"I can guess Sasuke's chakra was the one that was like a bonfire, he has both a lightning and a fire release, but what exactly did Naruto feel like?" Kakashi asked, praying she could make the distinction.

"Naruto..." Sakura's voice trailed off. "It's hard to describe. His chakra felt really big and strong, Like a natural disaster in the works. But... it also had an aura about it, it radiated malice and hatred."

'Damn it...' Kakashi mentally swore. 'Naruto's chakra nature was masked by the Kyuubi's, this complicates things. When I perform the technique, I already have it refined so that I can sense Naruto's as well as the fox, but Sakura can't make that distinction yet.'

"Why was Naruto's chakra... so dark?" Sakura asked Kakashi, a twinge of fear creeping up her spine.

"It's... complicated Sakura." Kakashi said, trying to come up with something. "But don't let it fool you, Naruto is a good kid."

'That was terrible.' Kakashi winced internally at his choice of words. Sakura looked at him in disbelief, not about calling Naruto a good person but at how lame he sounded.

"Kakashi-sensei, that was the worst excuse for anything you've ever given." Sakura deadpanned.

"Worse than saying you had to help an old lady walk through a construction zone, but a black cat crossed your path so you had to walk her all the way around Konoha to get her home?" Kakashi gave a weak smile, making Sakura face fault.

It was sad that he actually had used that excuse once.

* * *

With Sasuke and Naruto; happening simultaneously

Neither of the two members of Team Seven said much to each other while they tried to find the villagers.

It was kind of awkward honestly, Naruto tried to start a conversation with Sasuke but was brushed off every time.

Now, the two were taking a break sitting around a large tree, letting Naruto's clones do the work for them while they took a few minutes to relax. Naruto sat down underneath a shady tree, a leisurely smile on his face.

Sasuke was more or less forced to act as Naruto's body guard at the moment, since he was at full stregnth while the Uzumaki already summoned fifty clones. The Uchiha eventually was forced to sit down under the tree with Naruto, since he had nothing else to do.

For a while, an awkward silence filled the air, until Naruto tried once again to break it.

"So Teme, uh... still perfecting your sharingan?" Naruto asked, looking over at the other genin.

Sasuke again didn't spare him a glance. "Hn."

"That's cool I guess..." Naruto mumbled, before he tried to lighten the mood. "How's it feel that my clan beating yours at a forgery contest?" Naruto asked with a grin.

It fell when Sasuke ignored him. Again.

Naruto scowled, a tick mark forming on his forehead. "...You know Teme, I really don't know what I did to piss you off this time," he narrowed his eyes. "but I really don't feel like apologizing for it."

Sasuke snorted, flicking his gaze over at his teammate finally. It wasn't a hateful look, it was just a look of indifference. "You don't need to apologize. I wouldn't care if you did anyway." He stated blandly, turning away again.

The scarred jinchuriki rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now we're back to square one, huh? We're fine when Kakashi-sensei is here, but god forbid you get stuck with me?"

Sasuke ignored him yet again, seriously getting on Naruto's nerves.

"The hell is your problem?" Naruto continued. "Is this about the bell test? Are you seriously still holding a grudge over what I said?"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted again, not an actual response but it said enough for Naruto to understand.

"Kami take it..." Naruto groaned, palming his face. He thought he already solved this problem a few days ago, but clearly he was mistaken. "I already said I was sorry for throwing you guys under the bus, what the hell else am I supposed to do?"

Sasuke turned. "How about shutting up and leaving me alone? There's an entire other side of the tree that has plenty of shade you know."

"Not gonna happen." Naruto deadpanned. "You're too fun to piss off and my clones aren't done yet."

"As if a dobe like you could piss me off Naruto." Sasuke scoffed, looking away. "You're not even good enough to shine my shoes, what makes you think you can annoy me?"

"Clearly, I'm a _pro_ at annoying you." Naruto shrugged, a smirk forming on his face. "Unless something else is ticking you... off..."

Naruto's voice trailed off, the gears turning in his head. What, pray tell, could make the most prideful and arrogant genin in all of Konoha get so angry? What could Naruto possibly do to tick Sasuke off until the genin was positive Naruto had stopped?

"I get it." Naruto grinned. "You just can't handle the truth."

"And what truth is that dobe_?" _Sasuke drawled, his eyes looking over at the scarred jinchuriki.

Naruto shrugged. "That right now, I'm a better ninja than you, or at least close to it." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You've seen what I can do, I'm faster than you, my ninjutsu and taijutsu are at the very least equal with yours, and I can take a beating longer than you can."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Did Naruto really think that he was better than him? "You can take a beating but you can't give one, your punches hit as hard as pillows. Besides, we both know I actually have a brain and can think in a fight. You rely solely on instinct, which can get you killed. On top of that I hit harder, and I can actually perform a genjutsu that a ten year old couldn't break."

"You also have an ego bigger than the sun." Naruto deadpanned. "It doesn't matter to you if you're _better_, you liked it when it was obvious that you were. Am I right or am I wrong Sasuke?"

"Screw off." Sasuke snapped back. "Go find somewhere else to sit and leave me be."

"Uh..." Naruto scratched his neck. "I technically am doing all the work, on top of that I sat here first."

"Damn it Naruto." Sasuke growled, his fist clenching in his lap. "Leave me alone!"

"Not until I prove that you are just as easy to piss off as I am." Naruto shrugged. "And to think, all I really need to do is say Sakura is useless."

Sasuke went rigid, and turned to glare at Naruto, who stared back as if daring him to prove him right.

"Case in point." The jinchuriki said plainly, gesturing towards Sasuke's clenched fist. "Now you're the one that's about to rely on instinct and I'll make you eat the dirt."

Sasuke relaxed, not because he was backing down but because Naruto wasn't lying. Those who fight solely out of rage usually are the ones that suffer a horrible beating.

'The first to swing is the first to drop.' Sasuke remembered the analogy that his mother once told him when he had started a fight with an older boy at the playground one day.

"...Fine." Sasuke relented with a sigh. "You've proven your point. You can stop trying to piss me off now."

"I don't even have to try, it'll happen anyway." Naruto said mirthfully.

After a moment, the cheerfulness left his tone. "But in all seriousness Sasuke, I saw how you kept looking at Sakura." The scarred genin stated. "I may not be the most observant guy in the world, but I can certainly draw up conclusions. You-"

"Shut _up_ Dobe." Sasuke growled harshly, his hands clenching tightly again. "I have no idea what your talking about."

"Fine, fine..." Naruto said, backing off slightly.

Sasuke turned away, set on ignoring Naruto now. He started reciting a lullaby his mother once sang to him when he was a child, repeating over and over in his head.

"Denial is the first step on the road of regret Sasuke." Naruto stated, his voice drowning out the lullaby Sasuke was playing in his head. "Do you really want a life with regret in it?"

Instead of ignoring him like he wanted too, Sasuke found himself snapping at Naruto. "Love is for children." He said. "In this world, the only thing that matters is strength."

Naruto looked at Sasuke for a long time, finally silenced. Sasuke turned away from him, satisfied that he finally got the blond ball of energy to shut up and stop trying to annoy him.

It was more fun when Sasuke was the one doing the antagonizing.

"You're can't actually think that Sasuke." Naruto said quietly, sounding completely serious.

Sasuke looked back over at Naruto, who had spoke again. "And why is that?"

"Because love is what makes a person grow strong." Naruto stated. "Fighting for someone or something else is how you gain true strength, not personal desire."

Sasuke scoffed. "You have the mentality of a child." He drawled, before he added just for spite. "And you're also probably the most unpleasant moron I've ever met."

"I'm being serious now Sasuke." Naruto said. "I trained almost 24/7 for two long months using the Shadow Clone training method, gaining years worth over that span. I didn't do it just for the sake of being stronger, I did it because I wanted to be able to protect my precious people. As few in number as they are, I refuse to not be able to help them if I can help it."

Sasuke fell silent, listening to Naruto's words.

"Now tell me, Is that truly childish?"

Instinctively, Sasuke answered. "Yeah, it's still chidish."

Naruto looked at him dryly, daring Sasuke to and explain.

"You fight for others, you die for others." Sasuke shrugged as if it was the most obvious statement he could make. "No one has your back all the time, one day while standing in front of them and shielding them from danger, they could be the ones to thrust a kunai through your back."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the analogy. "I can see your point. It's a crappy one, but I can see it." He stated, ignoring the eye roll from Sasuke. "...On the bridge in Wave, I didn't fight like I did out of desperation to save myself, you know. I did it to protect the closest thing I have to family."

"Family?" Sasuke asked, giving Naruto a confused look.

"I ripped them apart not because they would've done the same to me, but because they would've done it to Kakashi-sensei, to Sakura, even to you." Naruto elaborated. "And after they were done slaughtering you guys, they would've murdered hundreds of people."

Sasuke seemed to falter hearing that. Team Seven... was it actually like a family?

"I'll ask you this one more time, and I'll let the whole thing drop." Naruto paused before he spoke again. "Is it truly childish to fight for your friends and family? Is it truly childish to fight for those who can't fight back?"

Sasuke shifted where he was sitting on the ground, but he did not answer the question this time

"I guess..." Naruto looked up at the sky. "it's just that this is probably the only family I'll ever know. That's why I fought... will continue to fight as hard as I have to protect it."

Now the Uchiha looked away from him, not sure what to say in retort.

"I don't know if you feel like that, you actually know what having a family is like." Naruto said, sounding wistful. "That's why your so angry at your brother, because he took that away from you. But what they don't say is that the path of vengeance is a dead end road Sasuke, while the road of inner peace and love has so many doors."

"The road to inner peace can be full of twists and turns, it opens so many possibilities. While the road of vengeance seems to be the right way to go most of the time, It has no turns, you get no brakes, and eventually it turns into a cliff for you to fall off of." Naruto continued. "Are you really willing to throw your life away just to kill one person?"

Sasuke thought about it. He really did. And he was ready to reply once more with a simple 'yes.'

But the word died in his throat.

"...I'll get back to you on that." Sasuke finally said, almost hesitantly.

Naruto accepted that. He couldn't really expect Sasuke to just up and abandon his ambition like that, it wouldn't be natural for him to do so.

"...What are your goals then Dobe? Aside from being Hokage." Sasuke asked, trying to change the subject and steer it far away from that line of thought.

Naruto seemed surprised that Sasuke was still in the mood to talk. He figured Sasuke would've stayed silent unless Naruto initiated the conversation. "Aside from being Hokage?" Naruto asked, thinking about it. "To protect my friends, I guess." He shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" He asked. 'I figured he would of said he was going to open a ramen shop, or set a record for how many bowls he can eat in a minute.'

"Yep." Naruto said casually. "Not much else I really want out of life other than to protect everyone. Besides, if I died doing that, no one else will have to, and no one would cry."

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a moment, before he said bluntly. "Now you're the one that's wrong."

"Huh?" Naruto looked over again.

"I can name lots of people who would miss you if you died, because you already did." Sasuke stated. "The day of your funeral, during the ceremony, Iruka was crying the entire time. That Saratobi kid, Konohamaru, he didn't take his head off of Asuma's shoulder until they left. Then there was our classmates."

"I..." Naruto's words trailed off. He cleared his throat and spoke again. "I didn't know."

"Shino and Shikamaru bottled everything up, while Hinata's entire personality changed. Kiba started blaming others for his problems, getting irritable and hateful towards everyone. Ino actually stopped being a fangirl and trained herself into the ground, and Kakashi stood from dusk until dawn afterwards at your grave." Sasuke continued to shoot out names rapidly, poking so many holes in Naruto's logic it wasn't even funny.

Naruto couldn't speak when Sasuke was finished. He affected that many people?

"Then you came back." Sasuke gave him a dry smile. "Sure, you're an annoying dobe that gets on everyone's nerves, but you're Konoha's dobe, and that's all that matters. And while some people are still acting odd, you came back and put cheer back in everyone."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "I am not a dobe, you're just a Teme."

Sasuke raised a challenging eyebrow, but before they could get into another argument, a shadow clone of Naruto ran up to them both. "Boss! We found them!" The clone of Naruto said. "They're about a quarter of a mile-"

"You know, you can just dispel and let Naruto sort through your memories." Sasuke interrupted helpfully.

The clone of Naruto glared at the Uchiha. "I knew that Teme!" He pointed at Sasuke while crying out indigently. He dropped his hand and formed the seal for 'release'.

The copy Naruto popped, a poof of smoke forming where he once stood. Naruto focused for a moment, before he nodded over at Sasuke. The blond boy darted forward, going slow enough for Sasuke to keep up with him.

A minute after running further to the west than they were, the two genin arrived at the location. Personally though, Naruto wasn't even sure if it was proper to address it as a village, rather than a cluster a huts and dirt.

There were a dozen or so brown huts dug out of the hills, all clustered closely together. Behind the huts was an empty grasslands with an Apple tree here and there. The grasslands were about thirty acres in diameter, with a rather large stream branching off the main river running diagonally through the left side.

"Where are the rest of the villagers? This can't possibly be all that's left." Naruto wondered aloud, shaken by the lack of people. Sasuke remained silent beside him, activating his sharingan and scanning the area for a potential threat to either them or the village.

"There's no enemy or traps that I can see." Sasuke announced. "Did you already send a shadow clone to go get Kakashi?"

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei is on the way here now." Naruto said back quietly. "But this... it can't be all that's left of this town. There was room for hundreds of people back there, and there can't be more than thirty people in this place."

Sasuke said nothing. Naruto was right of course, the village these people had left behind was as large as the one in Wave, yet they only built twelve huts. Even stranger, was that they hadn't found any unmarked graves, corpses, anything that signified death.

Never the less, the two remained hidden like Kakashi ordered them too for the copy ninja to show up, praying he didn't take an hour like normal.

Thankfully, it only took him and Sakura fifteen minutes to arrive, apparently sprinting all the way there.

"Looks like the place." Kakashi spoke out of the blue, all but appearing behind them both. Naruto immediately reached for a kunai and prepared to throw it, while Sasuke almost flipped backwards to give himself more space to fight.

"My, you two are jumpy." Kakashi gawked at them. The reflexes they both just showed were a little startling, but thankfully they realized who he was before either attacked.

"Better to be jumpy than to be off guard." Naruto quipped.

Kakashi gave him a patented eyesmile. "Very true."

Sakura finally caught up with Kakashi, breathing hard but not fully exhausted. She had a bright smile on her face, though neither Naruto or Sasuke had any idea why she was so happy.

The three genin stood side by side and awaited Kakashi to give them the go ahead.

"Come on Team Seven, let's go say hello."

* * *

Orochimaru was sitting at his desk, going through his own set of paperwork. A cup of coffee was freshly brewed and placed at his desk by his secretary, along with an odd letter from Sunagakure.

Deciding the letter from Suna could wait, he was reading the handwritten report on Guren's squad of genin with keen eyes.

_'Dosu Shows uncanny ability to lead his squad in a unique way, eager to learn and grow stronger. He's learning the shunshin technique currently, and is training to grow less reliant on the amplifier on his right arm.'_ He read Guren's brisk report on the unofficial team leader of the squad until Guren was appointed over them.

_'Zaku has a lot of potential, but has an extremely lazy work ethic unless he feels challenged. He makes up for this by being quick on his feet and harder to land a hit against. He's arrogant about his abilities, especially the ones that come from his arms. He has little understanding of tactics._' the report continued onto Zaku, which gave no new information that Orochimaru wasn't already aware of.

_'While no where near as lazy as Zaku, Kin possesses the same amount of arrogance in her abilities. While she is skilled with Senbon, her sadist-like personality makes her prefer to torture her opponents rather than finish them, which could come back to haunt her one day.'_ The single performance assessments finished with Kin, before finishing with an overall team performance assessment.

_'Overall, their teamwork is passable, multiple combination attacks between the three of them, particularly between Kin and Zaku. I deem them ready for the Chunin exams next month.'_ The report ended with a signature from Guren, showing Orochimaru its validity.

Orochimaru laid Guren's report down, noting she spoke highly of Dosu. 'Perhaps I could use him as more than just a pawn unlike his teammates.' He thought, before hearing the door to his office open.

The snake sannin watched a large brute of a man walk into his office. "Ah... Kisame. I was not aware you were still here." Orochimaru said in a pleasant tone, hiding away his annoyance.

He did not like people barging into his office.

Kisame grunted, before he sat down in front of the Sannin's desk. Samehada rested in his lap, the point aimed towards the ground.

"I got a few questions to ask." The Shark Nin said neutrally, his voice still having a natural growl to it.

Orochimaru gave a curious smirk. "Ask away." He waved his hand in a gesture to continue Kisame to continue.

"Why did you join back up with the Akatsuki?" Kisame's bluntness was apparent to all.

The Sannin blinked. "Odd for you to come and ask such a question, but if you're truly curious I came back into the fold," Orochimaru kept the pleasant smile on his face. "I did so for the betterment of mankind."

It wasn't a total lie... just not the whole truth either.

"Bullshit." Kisame stated, calling Orochimaru out. "I've been in your village for a week now, and I've seen how the civilians here are happy. You're medical care is better than some of the big five nations, already your shinobi core is strong enough to defend yourself from an invasion, you've even started building spas and theme parks for civilians, and a stadium for future opportunities to have Chunin and Jonin exams in. From my perspective, rejoining the Akatsuki is nothing but a waste of time for you."

Orochimaru nodded while he listened, contemplating how to answer. It was an astute observation coming from Kisame, he was surprised the Shark man noticed all this. "It has been through the Akatsuki that I've been able to build such luxuries. I've taken my cut of the profits we've earned, and used them to help fund my village. With my shinobi also taking jobs, it gave us a suitable income to try to make life better here. As for why my people are happy, it is because I will protect this place at all costs, even from myself if necessary." He said back. "I want to see this world flourish, and I have no use for torturing my people."

Note how he said _his _people.

"So you're not just some wacko, you're actually trying to accomplish something?" Kisame asked rhetorically, having figured that from the get-go.

'If only you knew what I was trying to accomplish here Kisame.' Orochimaru thought with a dark smirk. "I've never just been some _wacko, _as you so elegantly put it."

"Elegant or not, if you are trying to protect your people, trapping them in a hell with a monster like the ten tails is an odd way to go about it." Kisame stated, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the snake Sannin.

"I... was not aware you knew the Akatsuki's true motives..." Orochimaru only thought the next part to himself. 'Neither was I actually, that's good to know.'

"Oh, I am more than aware." Kisame answered, a frown on his face. "But if you were so adamant about protecting your people, why would you join back up with us? You do know your country is right above where we intend to unleash it first, right?"

Orochimaru kept a neutral face, though inwardly he was glaring at Kisame. He did not like being caught like a deer in the headlights, not knowing what to say. He couldn't very well say that he was unaware of the Akatsuki's motives and was only trying to further his own ends, that would be stupid.

"You didn't know that was their plan, did you?" Kisame asked after a moment of silence.

"What is it that you wanted again Kisame?" Orochimaru asked, still somehow hiding the annoyance out of his voice. "I already answered your question, can I helped you with anything else?"

The Shark man smiled, he had Orochimaru sweating for a second, not many people could say they bested Orochimaru in a battle of words. "Actually, yeah. There is one thing I need to hand you." Kisame said, pulling an unsealed letter from his pocket. "It's from Pain, but it was addressed to both of us. I think you'll want to read it."

"Oh goody, he did get a new messenger system." Orochimaru said dryly, taking the letter from Kisame's hand and read it silently.

_Kisame and Orochimaru, _

_I start this letter to inform you both of Sasori's death. Itachi managed to sneak into Ame while I was on a political trip to Sunagakure, and has gone off the grid once again. Stay on high alert, he may be wounded but he is still as dangerous as they come. However, with the losses in our roster, we have had to make adjustments. Deidara will be paired with our new recruit named Tobi, while the two of you will be another pair. Having already worked together on occasion gives, I trust you two will mesh well. _

_On December 15, The two of you will report to Ame for your next assignment. Use the time you have now to rest and relax, as well as get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses in combat._

_Pein._

"So we're officially partners then." Orochimaru stated. "At least I have someone who can hold their own in a fight and won't get in my way."

"Likewise." Kisame grinned, jagged teeth poking out of his mouth. He stood up to start walking out of the office, having delivered what he was supposed to and gotten answers he wanted.

"Since we are partners," Orochimaru's voice stopped Kisame in his tracks. "I feel the obligation to ask you if you would like to become an Otogakure shinobi?" When the shark ninja turned around and faced him, he spoke again. "I need another jonin-level shinobi to help out a future shinobi of Otogakure's ninja."

"...You want me to be a sensei for a couple of kids?" Kisame asked hesitantly. He did not want to spend his time babysitting. "No thanks."

Orochimaru chuckled, gesturing to the corner of the room. "Not a couple of kids. A single one."

Kisame raised a brow, before looking over to where Orochimaru pointed. To his surprise, Kisame saw a young boy around the age of eight years old watching him like a hawk.

Even more shocking was that he was using chakra to stand on the ceiling.

The boy had reddish brown hair and ice blue eyes, and wore a black attire with a long sleeve shirt and pants. His hood remained down, while a small ninjato was strapped to his back over his right shoulder, though on him it was an average sized sword.

"Meet Heishi ." Orochimaru introduced with a smirk. "He's a prodigal talent with a blade, though he still could use some refinement. I implore you to reconsider my offer, Hoshigaki Kisame."

Kisame stared at the child, who stared right back. "He's one of those kids from that clan helping you out, right?"

"Indeed he is." Orochimaru nodded.

Kisame glanced over at sannin before resuming his stare at the boy. He was expecting Heishi to speak some form of greeting, but instead, all that greeted the shark ninja got was silence.

'No kid should have eyes like that, it's unnatural.' Kisame thought, a cold shiver running down his spine.

The kid let himself fall off the ceiling, landing deftly onto his feet and walked up to Kisame. He remained silent, and slowly stuck out his arm.

Kisame stared at the hand for a moment, before he realized the boy wanted to shake his hand. Kisame extended his hand and shook it, being surprised by the strong grip from the young boy.

Not strong enough to hurt him, but still, it was impressive.

"Word to the wise though Kisame," Orochimaru's voice cut in, already knowing Kisame's curiosity over Heishi won his allegiance. "Do not mistreat Heishi. At all."

Kisame felt Heishi release his hand, and looked over at Orochimaru. "... I won't." He said hesitantly, shrugging Samehada over his shoulder and heading towards the door. "C'mon kid, let's go see what you can do."

Heishi followed the shark ninja wordlessly, the two leaving Orochimaru's office.

After a few moments, when the only noise was Orochimaru's pencil, someone shattered the silence.

"What do you think you are doing?" A voice hissed.

Orochimaru turned his head and could see his partner standing at arms length away from him, no sign of visible entry. His eyes glowing softly under his hood, an ice blue reminiscent of a glacier.

The sannin glanced back at the closed door to make sure Kisame and Heishi had already left, before turning back to the other man again. "You've come back early." He said neutrally.

"Don't play games with me, _snake_." The partner snarled, his fist clenching. "Now tell me what are you doing placing one of my people, my clansman, under the eyes of that brute?"

Orochimaru cleared his throat nervously, looking up at the man now standing over him. "Two things." Orochimaru began, holding up one finger. "For one, keeping an eye on Kisame-"

"And you'd be a fool not too!" The partner barked, his fist hitting Orochimaru's desk. "With our plan at stake, and you all but tossing him into the mix! But using my clansman as incentive to win over another shinobi..." His eyes flashed a brilliant white under his hood, a killing intent so smothering that even Orochimaru wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. "I should kill you for it!"

"Heishi is not going to be undertaking any missions until you give a proper say so." Orochimaru said in a calm voice, trying his best to calm the man in front of him while at the same time, trying not to sound afraid. "However leaving him without a consistent teacher will only hurt him in the end. You know this is true."

The partner's glare softened slightly, grudgingly accepted the response. "...Fine." He growled through clenched teeth. "The Shark can teach Heishi a thing or two I suppose."

Orochimaru took a sigh of relief, thankful to have found a peaceful resolution.

"But if that gilled freak hurts Heishi," The partner's tone turned frosty. "I'll kill every single person here and make you watch your village burn."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his fear forgotten. The Sannin adid not like it when other people threatened to destroy what he had created.

"Now..." The partner relaxed, hostility gone from his system. "What is the second reason?"

Orochimaru smirked, knowing this reason would please his partner. "So that Heishi can grow stronger. He along with the rest of the children are of course, your clan's future. Heishi is no exception." The Sannin said coyly. "Maybe if he studies under Kisame he can learn how to be ferocious in battle."

The Partner frowned at the reminder, but understood that Orochimaru was not wrong about Heishi needing to learn to be more vicious.

"Fair enough Orochimaru..." He grunted, still sounding a tad unconvinced.

"Don't worry yourself too much my friend, from what I've seen, Heishi is still a prodigy with a blade in his hands, qualified for the rank of Jonin even with his flaws and your disapproval to let him join the shinobi forces." Orochimaru said, sounding a tad dissatisfied by the man's choice about Heishi, and by extension, some of the other children in the clan, but still respecting it.

The partner snorted in amusement. "Heishi is still this clan's pride and joy, of course he's qualified for the rank." He said, crossing his arms. "Give him ten years or so and he may surpass even me."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air for almost a full minute before Orochimaru found the nerve to speak again. "So then, what will you do now?" Orochimaru asked, an undertone of worry beneath a façade of calmness.

While not experimenting on his own people, he certainly wasn't done doing it to people of other nations or from corpses.

"Now," The partner seemed to ponder what to do. "I will continue on searching for what you are looking for as part of our agreement." He put his hands in the release seal, before looking at the Sannin one last time. "And I believe that myself and a few of my family have found the perfect place to gather more people for you."

Orochimaru watched him evaporate into mist, making Orochimaru raise an eyebrow.

Over the course of their partnership, he had always came in person to speak to the sannin. While most sensible shinobi would want to be in the same room as Orochimaru, he did it strictly to remind Orochimaru that not everyone was weaker than him.

"You must've found something that truly caught your eye." Orochimaru murmured, leaning back in his chair, mulling over what his partner had said. After a minute of just sitting around, Orochimaru got up and left his office.

'Everything should be prepped for experimentation now.' He thought, walking further and further down the stair case of his tower until he reached the door to the basement, or as he preferred, his lab.

"Help!" A newly acquired test subject was still screaming when Orochimaru opened his door, so the Sannin quickly slammed the door shut. The Walls were sound proof down here, but with the door open he wasn't sure if someone couldn't hear Orochimaru at work.

"Be silent." Orochimaru hissed, all but appearing in front of the prisoner and holding him in the air by the throat through the barred cell. "And I promise that you'll get to die _before _I begin experimenting with you."

The prisoner whimpered pathetically, and Orochimaru smirked. It was a bald faced lie, their screams were music to his ears.

Regardless, Orochimaru dropped him onto the tiled floor like a sack of potatoes.

The other people trapped down there with him were too stunned and scared to even move, and just cowered in the corner of their cell while the newest prisoner cried right where Orochimaru dropped him.

The sannin walked back towards the entrance and flicked on the light switch, the sannin turning back to the room to take in it's twisted beauty.

To the left of the entrance were Orochimaru's supplies. Scalpels and needles were neatly tucked away into a small cabinet above a tan desk, pens and pencils placed inside a cup in the top right corner of the desk. Beneath the cup of pencils was a black notebook, though it was far from the only one he kept. He had dozens upon dozens, each labeled properly and put in alphabetical order so he could remember them in the three drawers of the desk.

In the back corner, was a normal, everyday sink that Orochimaru used to clean his instruments.

The furthest right on the back wall were the living test subjects, all thirty of them. They each received one square meal a day so their bodies remained as close to normal as possible without giving them enough energy to try to escape.

Next to that, was a freezer where Orochimaru kept the dead subjects. He tended to throw out the ones not used by a three month deadline, as the smell became unbearably strong even for him.

On the left wall, were torture devices designed to intimidate the living subject and keep them in line, as well as inflict as much brutality as possible. Blunt objects such as hammers of various sizes, as well as a morning star were placed closest to the entrance so that they could be easily seen by the people in the cell. On the part of the wall closest to the prisoners but out of their line of sight were the bladed weapons, or weapons designed to be more cleaving than crushing. A crude crowbar, an axe, a kunai, dozens of shuriken, and a machete.

None of these items were complex, most of them were simple to use. Orochimaru preferred these kind of devices than the more complicated ones.

Finally, in the center of the lab was a cold metal table, a body already laying on top of it.

Without uttering another word, Orochimaru went to his supplies in the cabinet above the desk, pulling out a syringe. He gave it an experimental push, finding that it still worked.

The Sannin went over to the sink and began cleaning the needle out, along with the tube and handle. Once done, he strutted over to the corpse with a smirk of amusement on his face.

"Now then," He purred, gently but firmly piercing the syringe through the corpse's left eye. "Let's see how your precious little ice kekkai genkai works, Haku."

* * *

Team Seven followed behind Kakashi as they walked towards the small cluster of huts, with Naruto letting himself fall to the back and watch the rear so that no one could sneak up on them.

Sakura knew that was what he was trying to do, but both Kakashi and herself had already checked for chakra natures, neither found any enemies.

Team Seven walked closer to the center of the cluster of huts, more than a little unnerved by the lack of human activity even here.

Sasuke remained absolutely silent, his sharingan active and once again searching the area for some form of trap. The only thing his eyes picked up was the gentle November breeze blowing through the grass in the cattle field.

Then, The Uchiha found himself looking over at Sakura, Naruto's words echoing in his ears.

_"Love is what makes a person strong Sasuke." Naruto stated. "Fighting for someone else, to protect someone, is how you gain true strength. Is that truly childish?"_

"Fighting for someone..." He murmured to himself.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke, seeing him looking at her. Normally, such a thing would cause her to jump with joy, but right now she was far too nervous to do so."Did you say something Sasuke-kun?" She asked, her eyes glancing between Kakashi's back and the other genin.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, looking away from the pink haired girl. Obviously he did not mean to speak so loud.

Naruto heard the exchange, but remained quiet. He was more concerned by the raw silence in the air, and out of the corner of his eye he could still see a few spiders following him even now.

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask as he walked. "Hold up." He muttered, making the three genin halt their progress into the remnants of the village they were supposed to go too.

Team Seven remained in the entrance of the village, yet to be greeted by anyone. It was highly unusual for a client to treat a shinobi like this, at least from Kakashi's experience.

Without telling his squad to follow him, Kakashi made his way to the center of the cluster of huts. He looked around, clearing his throat. "I am Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan," He spoke loud and clear, so the people could hear him. "You made a special request to the Village Hidden in the Leaves to send me personally. We are here to help you."

'It's a little weird to have to watch sensei get a client out in the open like this.' Naruto thought warily. 'Maybe we were too late?'

**"No." **The Kyuubi said back, starling Naruto. **"It might be unusual, but there are fresh tracks going in and out of the huts without a struggle, I'd say that the people are just afraid to come out." **

'Since when were you a tracker?' Naruto asked.

He could feel the deadpan stare the nine tails was giving him. **"I'm a fox you moron. I've known how to hunt since I was created."**

Kakashi watched a hut towards the back of the cluster open, and a single woman with greying blond hair stepped out of a hut cautiously. Her eyes were not like the people hiding in doors, the deep cerulean blue hard clutching a scythe in both of her hands.

The elder woman said nothing, only giving Naruto a brief but startled look of confusion before staring intently at Kakashi.

She looked him up and down, before visibly relaxing. "Thank Kami..." She breathed in relief, dropping her guard and lowering her scythe. "I was afraid you wouldn't come."

Kakashi turned back to Team Seven, and called them over with his hand. The three genin walked up to him, standing behind him. "You did pay extra for me to come here." The Copy Ninja stated casually.

The aging woman seemed to accept the copy ninja's answer. "If you say so." She shrugged. "Welcome to our village... or what's left of it. My name is Hisayo." The elder woman stated. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Right then. You already know me, so I'll just introduce you to my students." Kakashi said before looking back at them, pointing at each of them. "Pinky is Haruno Sakura, with whiskers being Naruto, and the brooding one behind them is Uchiha Sasuke."

"Whiskers!"

"PINKY!"

"Hn."

Hisayo smiled mirthlessly. If not for the terrible ordeal happening in her village, she might have actually been amused by the introduction. "Pleased to meet you three." She gave a slight bow. "Though I wish that Konoha had not sent children to help solve this problem."

Naruto looked indigent at being called a child. "Hey-"

"They might be kids, but they are one of the best genin teams in all of Konoha at the moment." Kakashi cut in smoothly. "That, and death is apart of our job description. They can handle it, don't worry."

"I'll take your word for it, but I still wish there were better circumstances." Hisayo said. "I do not want to see more children die."

"Speaking of the circumstances," Kakashi said, ignoring the last bit. "Can you fill in the blanks for us? We know someone or something has been killing your townspeople repeatedly."

Hisayo nodded grimly. "Every night, someone comes into our village and kidnaps multiple people, in groups of ten or more. It happens every single night for a week straight." She said gravely, taking a shaky breath. "Then, for one week right after, the killings stop. That week comes and goes, and the killings start back up, but not before on every Sunday of the weeks with no killings, we find a single corpse, the other nine people are never seen again. The corpse... it's... hard to describe what they look like."

Kakashi's eye softened. "Do your best, Hisayo." He nudged gently.

"They... are stripped of things. Organs are missing, limps... They've suffered horrible burns, and there is an odd seal placed upon their forehead." Hisayo stated shakily. "My son... he was one of the missing people we found..."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Kakashi said solemnly. "What was his name, if I may ask?"

Hisayo looked at Kakashi for a moment, before sniffing quietly to herself. "My son's name was Manti." Hisayo wiped her eyes. "He was just a local fisherman, one of the best in the town... he even had a son of his own, named Min."

Kakashi's lone eye held a hint of recognition in it, he had heard these names somewhere but couldn't remember. "Don't worry Hisayo," He stated. "We'll get the job done."

"Yeah! We'll kick their asses all the way back to whatever hole they crawled out of!" Naruto exclaimed, giving a grin and a thumbs up to the older woman.

"Thank you." Hisayo bowed again, gesturing to her hut with her hand. "Please, come inside and have lunch. You all must be hungry with it being near noon."

* * *

Nara Shikamaru was frustrated.

Firstly, Team Ten was helping an old man paint the newly built fence around his yard.

Now, work in general always sucked, but this time was even suckier than normal, at least for Shikamaru.

Mostly, it was because Ino had been mad at almost everything for the last week.

She glared at everything she looked at, cursed whenever she spoke, and growled whenever Shikamaru or Choji tried to talk to her.

"Shikamaru, what's wrong with Ino?" Choji whispered to him, asking the same question for the umpteenth time. The Akimichi did not seem to understand that Shikamaru was not going to say what was wrong with her.

The Nara looked over warily at Ino, watching her paint in an almost comically violent manner, splattering it all over the place. "I still have no idea buddy-"

"Shit!" Ino cursed, drawing Shikamaru's eyes back to her. Her bucket of paint had been kicked over, rolling down the street and spilling all over the stone road. "Shikamaru, I need your paint!"

Shikamaru yawned, glancing down . "You can have it if you paint my part too."

"Screw you." Ino growled darkly, walking over and taking his paint away from him. She marched back over to her part of the fence and went right back to painting, not sparing either of them a glance after that.

"Jeez, you're welcome.' The lazy genin mumbled. "Troublesome woman."

"Shikamaru," Asuma's voice called out at him from behind, making the Nara clan heir turn to his sensei. The bearded Jonin was leaning up against a tree on the opposite side of the road, watching his squad work while a cigarette dangled from his mouth. "I need to talk to you, come here."

Shikamaru shrugged, and walked over towards him. "What's up Asuma-sensei?"

Asuma's eyes gestured towards Ino. "You lied to Choji about what was wrong with her, you know what it is." He stated plainly, seeing through the lie. "What's wrong with Ino?"

"She's finally hit puberty and hasn't bought any tampons yet?" Shikamaru tried feebly to used a generic response that most men in general used when women gave them problems.

Asuma gave him a dirty look. "Shikamaru, don't lie to me. For the last week every little thing has set Ino off, but I haven't once seen her eating chocolate or something like that. Now I want to know why one of my students is acting like she's about to kill someone."

Shikamaru glanced over at Ino, who remained unaware of the conversation while still painting the fence angrily. The genin sighed and rubbed his neck. "What a drag..." He muttered, before clearing his throat. "It has to do with Naruto."

The bearded jonin raised an eyebrow. "One of Kakashi's brats? The kid that just came home after missing two months?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru confirmed. "It's a... um... complicated issue." The shadow user struggled to come up with an adequate word to explain what was wrong without revealing too much about Naruto's suspected activities.

"Huh." Asuma took a drag of his cigarette. "I guess I need to go beat a genin up now, don't I?"

Shikamaru was confused for a moment, before he realized what Asuma meant. "It's not like that sensei, Naruto didn't do anything to Ino. It's more of a... um..."

"It's more like Naruto doesn't know about it?" Asuma puffed the smoke out of his lungs, taking another shot in the dark. "Because I get that the kid is as dense as a rock, but Ino's usually up front about what she wants."

Shikamaru hesitated. On one hand, there was a chance that Asuma kept silent on this topic, and that it just went forgotten from history. In the other, more likely hand, he goes to someone, and Naruto gets put in the hospital by someone like Inoichi and Shikamaru gets put there by Ino when she finds out what happened.

The other option he had was to tell Asuma his theory, which could get Naruto arrested and court marshalled from the ranks. And forcing Naruto into a prison and costing him his Ninja career was the last thing Shikamaru wanted to do to a friend.

So, he lied. "...Yeah. Naruto doesn't know anything about Ino having a crush on him or anything. She was going to tell him sometime this week, but he got called onto a mission."

Asuma nodded to himself, tossing his cigarette to the ground and crushing it beneath his foot. "The life of a Shinobi is like that." He said, looking once more at the blissfully unaware blond girl cursing at her paint brush. "Their kids are going to be terrors on this village, loud as hell and pranking everyone that ticks them off."

Shikamaru gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, totally sensei." He said. 'Oh kami, what the hell did I just do? _What did I just do!_'

"Now's normally the part where I tell you to go get back to work, but it looks like Ino is already getting your part of the fence." Asuma stated, watching Ino trudge over to Shikamaru's section of the fence and start painting, Choji scampering out of her way. "You know, some people might view that as sexist."

"How is that sexist? I said she could have my paint if she did my side too... I didn't actually think she'd do it though." Shikamaru stated, the edge of nervousness still not leaving his voice.

"Meh..." Asuma shrugged. "Up for a game of Shogi?" The Jonin asked, gesturing to the free board by a diner next to the house.

Shikamaru gave him a dry smirk. "Depends, you want a lose quick or do you want me to let you think you have a chance at winning?"

"Is that a taunt?" Asuma chuckled. "You need to come up with some better ones there kiddo."

Shikamaru gave him a lazy smile. "That'd be way too troublesome."

* * *

Team Seven had gotten comfortable inside Hisayo's hut, spending a few hours getting to know their accommodations, while Kakashi and Sakura continued practicing the Chakura no basho Jutsu.

After letting the sun fall behind the horizon, dusk had began to set in, and Kakashi grew aware of how close it was to turning into actual night.

So he had to do this fast, he walked briskly through the town to understand the layout.

'If they try to get through the cattle field, it'd be extremely difficult for them to get in and out without alerting us.' Kakashi glanced to the left. 'There's more space for someone to maneuver on the left side, it's the direction we came in. We'll would need a person who can close distances quickly should man that side.' Kakashi thought about it for a moment, before deciding who to put there. 'Naruto might be one of the fastest genin in all of Konoha's ranks, so he'll man the left.'

Now Kakashi glanced to the right. 'However, they are just as likely to go around the right side. It's more confined with extra trees and hills in the area than the left, meaning that tactics will prove to be a vital factor in any battle fought there. Sasuke is the best candidate to manage the right flank .' Kakashi continued. 'This leaves Sakura to be in the middle, able to sense whenever another chakra signature was approaching and go help either of them.'

It was a defensive approach, Kakashi was willing to admit it. Only he would be available to go and search for the enemy, while Team Seven guarded what was left of this town. However, if Hisayo's account of an attack every night is true, than it was safe to say if he didn't find then one of the others certainly will.

He arrived back at Hisayo's hut, finding Naruto was already outside sitting lotus style in front of Hisayo's hut.

It was odd to see Naruto sitting and meditating, given how he acted most of the time. Still, it spoke of a maturity he did not have before, which slightly comforted Kakashi at the thought of teaching Naruto the Rasengan.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei," Naruto spoke, surprising Kakashi. He didn't think Naruto knew he was there. "when can I start learning about the Rasengan?"

The Copy Ninja gave Naruto a flat stare. 'And there goes that small comfort, he doesn't quit.' he thought dryly. "You waited outside all this time to ask me that?"

Naruto shook his head. "I was keeping watch actually, seeing as you were out and Sasuke's a little distracted." Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, looking up at Kakashi. What did he mean by Sasuke being distracted?

"Sasuke is inside sharpening his kunai and shuriken, and Sakura is talking to Hisayo about what herbs around here are helpful for medical uses." Naruto elaborated the unasked question.

'Sorry sensei, but if you're too dense to figure out Sasuke's philosophy problem, I can't tell it to you.' Naruto thought, not saying it out loud.

Kakashi nodded. "I see, good job Naruto."

"Also sensei, I don't want to bring this up inside, but didn't Hisayo say she had a grandson named Min?" Naruto asked, his voice quieting. "Because I haven't seen a kid inside the hut or anywhere around the village that looks like her."

"I've... noticed that as well." Kakashi responded, just as quiet. "If we don't see him by daybreak tomorrow, I will speak with Hisayo privately about it. But for now," The Copy Ninja spoke in a normal tone again. "I want you guarding the left flank. It's more open than the right flank, but with your speed I think you'll more than manage it."

"Hai." Naruto gave Kakashi a smirk and a thumbs up before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"...I'll presume you were listening in on that conversation?" Kakashi asked, looking up on the roof of the hut to see Sasuke staring down at him.

"It wasn't hard." Sasuke said flatly, jumping down to ground level to speak with Kakashi. "You purposely spoke at a tone you knew I could still hear. Dobe didn't know I was there because I was out here before he was, and I was practicing masking my presence. It also helps that he can't see up here, it's probably the only place in the whole village he couldn't see from where he was."

The Copy Ninja gave him an eye smile. 'Sasuke's natural abilities in stealth could grow to be a great asset for him, he'd do well in Anbu if he chose that path.' He thought. "You'll be manning the right flank Sasuke, since it has more foliage and will require more tactics than pure fighting skill."

Sasuke nodded. It was a good plan, Sasuke was more of a logical opponent than Naruto, he thought and planned out his attacks. "You want me to go get Sakura?" he asked the Jonin.

"If you could." Kakashi said. The Copy Ninja watched Sasuke walk into the hut, and a few minutes later saw the two genin walking out of the hut, with Sasuke walking over to start his watch on the right side.

"What do you want me to do sensei?" Sakura asked, a little doubtful that she was going to see anything more than panic-control duty. She could perform medical duty, was learning a sensory jutsu, and had a bag of tricks in genjutsu.

Yet she was nowhere near the level of any of her teammates in terms of fighting skill.

"You're going to remain here, use the Chakura no basho Jutsu to findwhere the intruders are, and go after them." Kakashi ordered. "Odds are, it'll be from either the left or the right flank. The river might not be very wide, but it is deep. I don't think they'd run that risk of splashing through the water in the back. And if they were going to come from the front, we'd literally be able to see them from a mile away, plenty of time for the three of you to come up with a plan and attack as a unit instead of as individuals."

"You're talking like you're not going to be here." Sakura noted.

"Very astute observation Sakura." Kakashi praised. "You're right, I'm not going to be here. I'll be out looking for this murderous bastard before he finds us, hopefully I succeed."

Sakura frowned. "Al- Sensei!"

Kakashi suddenly disappeared in a poof smoke, leaving Sakura behind in a hurry.

* * *

The Copy Ninja reappeared back in the original village, the lake glittering in the moon's light. 'I had to get out of there, I want to get this over with.' He thought to himself grimly.

His hands were close together, prepared to go through a series of seals at a moment's notice. 'I sensed a strong killing intent when we came here before.' Kakashi checked behind him, before walking forward into the town.

'The precision needed to target only me without alerting any of Team Seven is impressive to say the least. I don't know if he made it past the nine tails, but if the fox noticed it I couldn't tell it from Naruto's face. The kid just smelled blood in the air.'

The Copy Ninja took a step forward, and immediately felt the killing intent again. It wasn't trying to scare him like last time, merely trying only to make Kakashi aware that there was a presence here eager to meet him.

"Whoever you are, you've made a big mistake." Kakashi said in a normal tone, standing completely still. His eyes darted around, trying to find any source of movement.

A tense silence filled the air for a few moments, before a deep chuckling sound echoed softly through the abandoned village. "And here I was, thinking you weren't going to show up."

Kakashi could tell that it was a male speaking, but the sound of his voice seemed to come from every direction. It was to the left, it was to the right, and it was behind him all at the same time.

"It was an impressive feat, not alerting anyone but me that you were here." Kakashi complimented, leaving the more important details out of it.

Again, the man in the wind chuckled. "Why thank you, Hatake Kakashi, Copy Ninja of the Leaf." The voice continued to speak, but Kakashi was unable to find the speaker. "They say you've copied over a thousand techniques from your enemies, and became a war hero back in the third Shinobi world war. You have a sharingan in your left eye, and are the only surviving student of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato."

Kakashi remained still. "Stating information that is public knowledge isn't as impressive as the killing intent trick was." He responded cooly, trying to keep the man talking.

"You were also in the Konohagakure Anbu Black Ops for nearly ten years under the code name of Hound on Team Ro, a squad that serves directly under the Hokage." Came the voice again, this time alarming Kakashi at how much it knew about him. "You are still suffering lingering effects from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder do to all the death you have seen. You are also in consideration for the position of Hokage, behind Jiraiya the Gallant and Senju Tsunade. You are the sensei of the new incarnation of Team Seven, consisting of the last Uchiha loyal to the leaf, Uchiha Sasuke, as well as a civilian named Haruno Sakura. However, it's the dead-last named Uzumaki Naruto under your tutelage that holds the most prominent secrets, such as his father is Namikaze Minato while his mother was Uchiha Kushina, and that he is the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox."

Kakashi resisted the urge to widen his eyes. Naruto's status as a jinchuriki was a highly guarded secret, punishable by death if it was revealed. Then there was the matter of Naruto's parents, Naruto himself was not even aware of his heritage for thirteen entire years.

And if not for the incident in Wave putting him in Uchiha Itachi's possession for two months as a student, he would still be unaware.

"...It seems like you have an unfair advantage." Kakashi replied, not showing how shaken he was at the knowledge this person possessed. "You know who I am, yet I do not know you. Care to introduce yourself?"

The man in the wind gave a full blown laugh at that. "That is not unfair, that is simple due diligence!" He chuckled. "I would be incompetent as a shinobi if I could not gather such trivial information."

'And he calls all that trivial?' Kakashi grew even more nervous, just who was this guy?

"I am curious though, after his brief stint as student under Itachi, he supposedly grew stronger tenfold, and his speed now rivals his father's at that age." The voice started to sound arrogant. "They also say that his eye sight improved _tremendously_."

Kakashi was growing frustrated that he couldn't find this man, he really wanted to smack the smugness out of his voice. However, he remained where he was as to not show a sign of weakness, and have this stranger just sneak up and cut Kakashi's throat. "If you are here to talk to me about Naruto, than why didn't you tell him you were here?"

"Because trash like him do not deserve to be in my presence." The man in the wind answered, his tone now harsh.

The Copy Ninja narrowed his lone eye. "What makes Naruto trash? Is it because he was the dead-last?"

"No, no, not at all." The man chuckled again, amused at the assumption. "That has to do with the fact that he is a thief and a liar... using the name..." The man in the wind replied, his voice trailing off and growing quieter.

"What?" Kakashi sounded confused.

"His name!" The man on the wind barked. "He does not deserve to be an Uzumaki! Trash such as him should never sully the Uzumaki legacy!"

Kakashi did not like this man's tone. "He was named Uzumaki to hide his heritage from Iwa and Kumo. We know that Iwagakure would come for his head if they knew of his existence, and we are wary of Kumo simply because of A's rivalry with the Yellow Flash." Kakashi stated. "Aside from that, the Uchiha..."

"What of them. Why did they not give him his mother's name?" the man's voice hardened. "Why not give him the name he should have been given from the start, unless someone high up in the chain of Konoha knew something bad was going to happen to anyone with the name. Something like a _massacre._"

Kakashi was terrified now. Even he was unaware of the planned coup from the Uchiha until the Third Hokage told him the truth about Itachi a few weeks ago.

Regardless, he could not show fear here. "It doesn't matter why they did it, that's all I care to say." Kakashi stated.

"That is what I thought." The man said coldly.

Kakashi was finally able to pinpoint where the man was speaking from, and turned his head slowly to face him.

He wore a navy colored jacket, but in the darkness of the night it might as well of been made of shadows.

It had regal gold trimmings that popped out brightly against the darkness of his coat, shining gold along the collar and pockets, as well as a thin gold line stretching down from the collar to the cuffs of the sleeves.

On his back was a black katana sheathe, while his pants were more plain, a simple gray design. He also wore black combat boots covering his feet, as well as a hood covering most of his face.

In his hand was a katana with a dark crimson handle. The blade's metal gave off an odd teal glint even in the moonlight, yet it's edge was still wickedly sharp.

"You wanted an introduction, so you shall have it." The man gave a malicious smirk. "I am the Uzumaki clan head, Uzumaki Ryu."

* * *

Here's the next installment of The Raven's Student, I hope you liked it. It took a lot of hard work (yelling at Dell for being a pack of douche bagels) to get this done.

All jokes aside, this chapter was more difficult to write than I anticipated. I had barely gotten to even work on the chapter at all since my spring break (Back in the first week of April, shortly after I updated the last chapter). Granted, I had the chapter mostly finished, upon reading it back to myself when I finally got my laptop back I found that most of it was just an utter bowl of crap that I refused to publish.

And yeah, a lot of you already guessed who Orochimaru's partner but I still am proud of my work of introducing him. Ryu is the one of two major OCs we are officially introduced too, the other being Heishi. There will be more OCs, but I promise to make each one of them act and seem different from one another.

Please don't forget to leave a review!

(I edited this chapter (as well as the previous chapter) due to some errors in character's personalities and grammar.)


	9. The Red Whirlpool

Normally, I don't like to write notes up here and leave them down at the bottom. However, I feel this should be addressed before you read this chapter. Chapters 7 &amp; 8 have both been edited and reposted, slightly changing the story. (It's why this chapter took a little bit to get out) Nothing major, just fixing errors I made and actually writing some of the characters back into their personalities for the story.

They don't really affect the plot, just their reactions to certain events were altered to fit the story. And of course, it reads smoother too, at least in my humble and honest opinion that is not in any way shape or form effected by me being the writer of this piece.

(But uh, I'll be working on editing the other chapters later, when I get the time. Reading through them made me realize that they weren't exactly up to snuff. (Chapters one through four, I'll fix them up while working on the next couple chapters, take it one step at a time and all.))

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto: Shippuuden. I only own the plot.

* * *

"Uzumaki..." Kakashi murmured the name in reverence, shocked of seeing a living member of the famed relatives of the Senju.

Ryu shrugged his Katana over his shoulder, his hood gently swaying in the breeze.

The man did nothing but smirk haughtily at the Copy Ninja, his posture remaining painfully relaxed. "If you want to run, now is the only time I will allow it."

Kakashi clenched his fist, slowly lifting his forehead protector off of his sharingan eye. 'He's not even going to take me seriously as a threat.' he noted to himself, preparing for a fight.

"Already bringing out your ace in the hole?" Ryu's smirk broadened into a grin, his free arm extending out in an act of bravado and arrogance. "And here I thought that you could provide a challenge for me!"

"Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga no Jutsu!" Kakashi cried, a wolf sparking to life from his fingertips. He had heard enough and decided to attack first.

The electric hound charged straight for the Uzumaki, whose smile never wavered. Ryu raised his free hand and cast a single half seal, before bringing his hand to his mouth.

"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu." Came the counter, a torrent of water rising from the river behind them crashing into the lightning hound. The Lightning Beast immediately was engulfed by the water bullet, the electric hound being absorbed into the torrent and amplifying the jutsu as it continued it's trek towards Kakashi.

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise briefly, before he formed a tiger seal and disappeared into a poof of smoke.

The Uzumaki almost yawned in boredom, ducking beneath a punch from behind without turning around.

However, Kakashi's second attack did manage to graze him. While he was about to stumble right past the crouching Uzumaki, Kakashi's knee caught the side of his hood and yanked it down.

Kakashi caught himself, looking back at Ryu and studying him for his report and potentially for a bingo book entry. The first thing he noticed was the spiky red hair on the top of the Uzumaki's head, with the sides buzzed. Ryu appeared to be older than the copy ninja, in his late thirties.

And while his hair was a vibrant red, his eyes were on the other end of the entire spectrum. Ice blue orbs reminding Kakashi of glaciers seemed to glow like a sharingan would, piercing straight through the darkness of the night and eyeing Kakashi like he was a new toy to play with.

His face was clean shaven, his chin narrow and pointed. His mouth was in a dark smirk promising nothing but pain, while he had stud earrings of the Uzumaki clan symbol on both ears.

"Not bad." Ryu said in mock approval, sheathing his sword momentarily to clap his hands together. "You managed to knock my hood down. I'm oh so impressed, Hatake."

Kakashi glowered at the Uzumaki menacingly, his mismatch eyes meeting Ryu's in a stare.

The Uzumaki chuckled, and again unsheathed his sword. "I believe it's your attack again, would you like to take your turn?" Ryu asked, opening his free hand wide while leaving his sword resting on his shoulder. "I promise, I won't try to dodge it." He added at the end.

Kakashi remained in a defensive stance, and Ryu gave a sigh. "Fine Copy Ninja, I'll make it even easier for you." He placed his katana back in his sheath once again, and showed Kakashi his hands. "To make it easier for you, I won't use my sword for as long as I see fit. Clock is ticking Kakashi, make your moves count."

'He's still mocking me.' Kakashi didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Ryu was this confident, but never the less he obliging his opponent with another attack. "Fūton: Daitoppa no Jutsu."

Ryu snorted softly, shaking his head. "Pathetic." He muttered, weaving through a short seals of his own, Kakashi memorizing each and every seal used with his sharingan. "Raiton: Denkino Haroo no Jutsu." The Uzumaki placed his palms onto the ground, a blinding white light forming a circle around him. Electricity coursed through the thin light, reinforcing the barrier.

"Damn." Kakashi growled softly to himself, seeing Ryu remain inside the barrier perfectly unharmed, watching him impassively. That attack was on the weaker side, Kakashi wanting to preserve his chakra for later use.

Ryu let out a yawn. "If that's the best you can do, why not just give up now?"

'That was a lightning based attack, wind is supposed to beat lightning under normal circumstances.' Kakashi frowned. If he remembered the chakra web correctly, It went Lightning beats Earth, then Earth beats Water, then Water beats Fire, then Fire beats Wind, and finally Wind beats Lightning.

'It wasn't a strong attack, but still. It should've done something more than... nothing.' Kakashi thought to himself, going through a long series of hand seals. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" Kakashi summoned forth a large dragon of water that was poised to strike, eyes glowing yellow as it towered above Ryu and Kakashi.

'Water might not beat Lightning... but it sure makes for a good conductor.' Kakashi sent the beast at Ryu, confident that the attack would end the fight.

He watched the serpent-like dragon smash straight into the barrier Ryu was behind, and fully expected the dragon to smash the Uzumaki into pieces. Instead, he watched the dragon shatter into a rain shower upon impact with the barrier.

"What!" Kakashi's eyes widened in alarm.

Ryu shook his head in disappointment. "I guess that really is the best you can do." The Uzumaki stated. "This fight will end here and now... a shame, I was hoping this would've provided me with a little more entertainment."

The barrier dropped around Ryu, who went through his own series of hand seals. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu."

A serpent like Kakashi's began to form around Ryu, but unlike Kakashi's, it continued to grow bigger and bigger until it made the one the Copy Ninja made look like it was a garden snake.

This... _thing_ in front of him dwarfed almost every creature Kakashi had seen. It was as wide as a building and twice as tall, Kakashi had to crane his neck just to look up at its hissing head.

And all Kakashi could do in the brief seconds it stood proudly before him was brace himself for the impact as best he could.

The water dragon smashed right into Kakashi, knocking him right off his feet and carrying him back further into the ghost town. Kakashi's back smashed into a building before the torrent tore through and smashed him into a second before the attack subsided.

"Okay... that hurt." The Copycat groaned, lifting himself up off the ground. 'That hurt a lot...'

Kakashi's hand unconsciously made its way to his collarbone, wanting to grip it but not being able to. 'It's definitely broken... along with a handful of other things.'

Ryu walked calmly through the wreckage to be back in Kakashi's line of sight. "Ninjutsu fights bore me." Ryu told him, continuing to walk closer Kakashi. His sword was still in its sheath on his back, and Kakashi was starting to wonder if it was for show or if he was actually able to use it."I prefer to make my opponents scream up close and personal."

Kakashi resumed his fighting stance, ignoring the pain flaring up in his collarbone.

The Uzumaki started chuckling as he watched Kakashi get into a defensive stance again. "You never learn, do you?" he asked rhetorically, stopping his walk towards the Copycat while keeping the haughty look on his face.

"You haven't taught me anything new." Kakashi said back smoothly.

"If that is the case," Ryu's voice was slower than his moving speed, imbedding his fist into Kakashi's abdomen faster than Kakashi could even try to follow. While Kakashi was hunched over his fist, the Uzumaki whispered in his ear. "Then I guess you're a bad student."

Having forced Kakashi to hunch over, Ryu used his free hand to grasp Kakashi's head and yank it downward, ramming the Copy Ninja nose first into his rising knee. "Here I am, spending quality time trying to teach you how to defend yourself,"

Kakashi fell backwards, and the Uzumaki poised himself to follow up on his previous attack. "and you,"

Ryu kicked the Copycat Shinobi in the chest, blasting him back even further into the town, nearly to the center. "throw it right back in my face like a disrespectful fool."

Kakashi rolled up to his feet as Ryu sprinted towards him, preparing to launch his counter attack. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Kakashi sent a large fireball towards Ryu, hoping at the very least that it slowed him down.

Ryu simply slid on the ground beneath the blast, letting it fly inches over his head before it smashed where he was a moment ago. He continued to sprint at Kakashi, his fist reared back.

Kakashi put his arms up to block the attack, but the Uzumaki didn't let this stop him.

He slammed his fist forward, Kakashi skidding a few inches in the dirt but holding his ground.

Ryu narrowed his eyes in annoyance and leapt into the air. He spun around once, sticking his foot out to crash it into the side of Kakashi's head.

Before the impact, Kakashi managed to move one arm to try and block the attack, but it didn't matter. The Uzumaki's foot crashed into his arm and drove it straight into Kakashi's head to knock him away.

Ryu landed deftly on his feet, his eyes on Kakashi's down form. "This is so sad, coming from the last student of the Yondaime." He gave a sigh of disappointment "You'd of thought he had taught you something, but as I said," Ryu strutted forward arrogantly, speaking as he moved. "you're a bad student!"

Kakashi stood up from off the ground, just in time to see Ryu setting up an early kill blow.

The Uzumaki must've put his hand on the handle of his katana as he walked, the sword halfway out of its sheathe when Kakashi looked at it. "Die!" Ryu cackled with glee, swinging his sword for Kakashi's throat.

A split second before he cut off Kakashi's head, the Copy Ninja disappeared in a poof of smoke, a wooden log was in his place.

"There's a trick Minato-sensei taught me." Kakashi said, standing behind Ryu while already attacking. "And here's something else he taught me,"

Ryu turned in horror as he saw an orb of compressed chakra about to slam into his skull.

"Rasengan!"

The Copycat Ninja cried out the name of one of the most famous attacks in the elemental countries, launching his hand forward.

Kakashi's hand smash into the wall, blasting out the side of the building.

"I stand corrected." Kakashi's blood ran cold, realizing that he hadn't hit anyone with his attack. His head slowly turning to look at Ryu standing behind him, unharmed. "You're not as bad of a shinobi as I thought."

"How... how did you dodge that attack?" Kakashi stuttered at first, before his voice hardened into a demand for answers.

"Never explain to someone how to do something that you just did." Ryu lectured, a coy grin on his face for a moment before he lunged, aiming his katana for Kakashi's heart.

The Copy Ninja used his hand to shove the blade to the side, using his other arm to try to perform a lariat into the Uzumaki's throat.

Ryu ducked under Kakashi's arm, digging one foot into the ground to stop his momentum and sending his other foot crashing into Kakashi's ribs.

Kakashi skid in the dirt, before he reached into his pouch and pulled out a kunai.

The Uzumaki smirked when he saw Kakashi's smaller weapon. "You intend to fight with _that? _Do you have a death wish?"

"I have no intention of dying today!" The Copy Ninja replied, parrying Ryu's oncoming attack. While the two weapons were pressed together, Kakashi took the precious moment to swing his free hand at the Uzumaki's face.

The Uzumaki ducked beneath the attack, pulling his larger weapon away to try to set up a counter.

However, Kakashi was able to move his kunai faster than Ryu could maneuver his katana, and Kakashi lunged at Ryu to tried to stab his kunai into his adversary's shoulder.

Ryu leaned out of the way, letting Kakashi stumble past him and leave his midsection exposed. The Uzumaki smacked an open palm into Kakashi's ribcage, hitting them once again and roughly shoving the Copy Ninja away from him.

Kakashi winced, ignoring the pain flaring up from his ribs now while dodging to the right of a slash from Ryu's sword. 'He could've ended it right there, if only he stabbed me instead of shoving me away.'

Ryu had a savage grin on his face, swinging his sword again for Kakashi's chest.

The Copycat again dodged the attack, throwing his kunai for Ryu's head in a desperate move to get himself more room.

Instead, the Uzumaki just twisted to the side, letting the kunai bypass him and sail into the river.

Kakashi thought he was a goner, not having enough time to pull out another kunai and being well within Ryu's striking range.

Instead, the Uzumaki used the momentum he gained from moving out of the kunai's path to bring his foot up and crossing it against Kakashi's face. "Nice try Hatake!" He taunted in dark amusement.

Kakashi rolled away from Ryu, panting slightly. 'That's twice he could've finished me off, but he chose not too.' The masked nin frowned. 'He's just trying to inflict the most pain he possibly can instead.'

"Giving up Kakashi?" Ryu called at him, pointing his katana at the Copycat.

Kakashi ignored him. 'I can't beat him up close and personal, I don't need to try my luck at it any farther than this.' Kakashi analyzed Ryu's stance, or lack of one. His movements were rapid and fluid, but neigh impossible to predict.

It reminded him of Naruto slightly, though Naruto only came up with wild and creative plans instead of fighting without any form of strategy.

'Fighting up close is a no go, but I still think I can win this if I use Ninjutsu.' Kakashi thought, backing up a step to give himself a little room.

The Copy Ninja went through a quick series of hand seals, unleashing another attack. "Fūton: Ookami Houkou!"

Kakashi was a little disturbed when he saw Ryu smile grow even wider, a crazed gleam starting to show in his eyes.

Electricity began dancing up and down the blade of Ryu's katana while water dripped off of the tip. A thin blue hue began to glow off of the blade, making it even sharper. Ryu stood unmoving, letting the attack fly closer to him once again.

Then, the Uzumaki outstretched his sword arm, exposing his chest. Electricity danced up and down the blade, droplets of water falling off the tip of the blade.

'Is he channeling chakra through his sword?' Kakashi wondered briefly, seeing it for the first time. 'Doesn't matter, there's no way he's going to be able to block this.' The Copycat Ninja thought with a satisfied look in his eyes, watching his attack blast through the air with a deafening roar following in its wake.

Ryu didn't even react to the ear-splitting roar, swinging his blade into the snarling wolf's head, not only cleaving the very wind in two but absorbing the attack into his sword.

Kakashi's jaw dropped in awe of what he just saw. "What the hell?" He spluttered.

Ryu broke out in a crazed laugh, continuing his swing around his head to bring his sword back around, an ungodly light coming off of his sword. "Now's the part where you die, Kakashi of the Sharingan!"

The Uzumaki let off a wordless shout, swinging his sword for a second time.

The very air seemed to tear open, a replicated roaring noise like with Kakashi's previous attack blasting Kakashi's eardrums. A blinding yellow light tore at Kakashi, blowing the ground apart as it flew forward with lightning encircling the blast.

"Raiton: Denkino Haroo no Jutsu!" Kakashi cried out in alarm, using a copied move against Ryu, a bright wall of light encircling Kakashi protectively.

The following explosion made Kakashi's view go white, a thunderous boom echoing through the world as if lightning had struck the ground the moment the two jutsu collided.

When the light died down and the dust settled, Kakashi could be seen on his knees behind a terribly cracked wall of light. He was panting heavily, but was not physically harmed by the terrifyingly strong attack.

'Defensive... his strongest attacks are all defensive.' The Copy Ninja lifted his head up once he caught his breath.

Ryu allowed Kakashi to get back up to his feet, a sick gleam of glee in his eye. "Not many people would still stand at this point." he said, acting impressed.

"What... was that?" Kakashi ignored the sweat creasing his forehead, only wiping it out of his eyes.

"Oh, that?" Ryu chuckled. "It was an technique called Uzumaki Kenjutsu: Hanpatsu. Simply put, it can absorbs the chakra from your attack, mixing it with my own chakra in the sword. Then I can send all the chakra, mine and yours, right at you."

"That's impossible." Kakashi all but growled out, still panting. If the sword could absorb any chakra based attack, then that implied that the more power Kakashi used, the more powerful the redirected attack would be.

Only most swords would shatter from taking in the chakra needed to perform a d-ranked jutsu, the metals would corrode and decay from all the chakra.

"No sword is capable of absorbing half that much chakra." Kakashi had caught his breath now, though he was still a little tired.

"I assure you, my sword is... special. In fact, if I recall," Ryu pointed his weapon at Kakashi. "You told your students the legend of the Uzumaki-Supaida forgery rivalry a few days ago, did you not?"

Kakashi stiffened. 'He was there, even then? How long has he been watching us?'

"As you told them, the legend says that the Uzumaki forged a sword capable of carving through ten trees in one swing without even resorting to using chakra. Further tales stretch it and say that it can go through a dozen, while a rare few go as far up as twenty trees in one swing."

The Copycat Ninja was silent at first, he understood what the man was implying perfectly.

"That's the sword from the legends." He finally stated.

Ryu nodded, the arrogant smile not faltering. "Oh, this sword isn't just the sword from the legends. This sword is the inspiration to the legend of the Dragonfly-cutter sword of Kumogakure."

"How..."

"Kumo didn't manage to steal our weapons or our metals... but they did steal our techniques. Those bastards made a knock-off and tried to play it as their own creation, but we knew better." Ryu started to chuckle. "My grandfather stole the weapon and used it to kill the second Raikage for their theft, then he shattered the blade."

Kakashi watched Ryu twirl his sword, spinning it around and playing around with it like a child. "However, that old story is irrelevant. All you need to know is this is the true sword of legend, Hebinoiki. You should feel honored, you are the first outsider to hear its name in almost ten generations."

Kakashi glared. "I don't care what it's called, I'm still going to kill you."

The Uzumaki started to chuckle, before it turned into a full blown laugh. "You? Kill me? Until you can cause this kind of destruction, I'll doubt your ability to pull it off."

Kakashi was confused by that, looking around. The ground in front of him was torn apart, but that was normal for a shinobi battle.

Then he looked behind him and his eyes widen in utter disbelief.

It was a war zone. The buildings between him and the river back where the fight began were nothing but desolate wasteland, the street utterly smashed and obliterated, even the trees were nothing but splinters. It was as if a bomb had gone off behind him, destroying everything in its wake.

"Do you see the magnitude of what you face?" Ryu asked haughtily. "I'm unbeatable!"

Kakashi's eyes hardened. "You're far from unbeatable." He responded with a growl in his voice. "And I'll prove it."

* * *

Naruto was sitting on the ground with his back laid against a tree and his legs outstretched. His sharingan was active, his sky blue eyes gazing over the darkness.

In the distance, he could make out the ghost town they walked through earlier against the moon's light, barely illuminating it enough for him to see it through the inky blackness.

'This is so boring.' Naruto leaned his head back against the tree and stared up at the sky. 'I hope this freak shows up soon-'

**"You should pick up a hobby."** The Nine Tails decided to speak for the first time in hours, interrupting Naruto from his thoughts.

"Don't do that!" Naruto barked out loud, momentarily forgetting the fox could hear his thoughts.

**"Not much else to do in here, you should talk to someone about putting in better entertainment for your guests."** The Kyuubi drawled sarcastically. **"But anyway, like I said, you need a hobby."**

'Firstly, stop with the sarcasm. It's unappreciated.' Naruto said back dryly. 'And second, what kind of hobbies does a demonic entity even know about?'

**"A couple, actually." **The fox huffed indigently. **"Uchiha Madara studied battle tactics and the art of warfare in his spare time, he wrote a couple books on the subject. My first container, Uzumaki Mito, performed in ballet or was painting scenes of nature, while your mother was... um..."**

'Well, what hobbies did my mother have?' Naruto asked curiously.

**"She died before she could really have one." **The Nine tails replied. **"the Third Shinobi World War took up most of her teenage years, so she usually was fighting for her life along with your father. And since she died when she was in her early twenties, she never got the chance to find something."**

'Oh.' Naruto swallowed, not sure how to reply to that. 'um... just training is fine for me.'

The Nine Tails disagreed. **"Just training? That's not exactly something a thirteen year old child should call a hobby."**

'I'm not a child.' Naruto frowned. 'I don't feel like I can call myself one after killing for my village.'

**"You barely remember killing those men on the bridge, in fact I was more in control of your actions than you were." **the demon fox reminded him. **"Besides, you almost throw up just thinking about the blood you spilled on that bridge."**

'Whatever.' Naruto rolled his eyes.

**"Kit, I'm just trying to help you here." **The fox said. **"Contrary to your belief that I am a blood-thirsty demon that can cause you severe mental harm if I truly desired, you and I are stuck together for nearly a century."**

'I remembered, I'm the one that told you that.' Naruto grunted. 'And I also remembered that you can used genjutsu in there.'

**"You also called me your bitch in that conversation, I was offended. Besides, I'm not like that crazy raccoon of a brother I have down in Suna." **The Kyuubi replied.

'Brother?' Naruto could've sworn he heard distant sounds of fighting, but in the middle of the woods?

Probably not.

**"Shu... the Ichibi."** The Kyuubi considered briefly telling Naruto the One-tail's true name, but decided against it. **"But that's not important, so back on the topic, training is something that will take up most of your time, but what about your days off or in your free time?" **The Kyuubi continued on to ask.

'Those days I'll just spend in my mindscape and train with you on something else.' Naruto debated.

**"Or," **the Kyuubi no Kitsune said chidingly. **"You can expand upon your intelligence and play a game like Shogi. The Nara clan is supposedly experts at the game, even the children who never played it before are supposed to be hard to beat."**

'You want me to play games? What am I, five?' Naruto snorted out loud.

**"You're short enough to be." **The Nine Tails bit back, growling a little.

Naruto frowned, not able to glare at the beast inside his head. 'I'm not short. Everyone else is just tall.' He stated.

Instead of getting into this debate with his container, the bijuu just rolled his eyes. **"Of course, whatever makes you feel better."** He said.

'It does make me feel better, thank you very much.' Naruto said indigently.

**"Maybe you could watch TV shows?" **The Kyuubi went with the second choice, the one Kushina would usually do when she was bored. It wasn't really a hobby for her, just a way of her passing the time.

'Pass on that, then I might get overly attached to people who don't exist.' Naruto shrugged. It hadn't ever happen to him, but judging by how Kakashi got whenever something sad happened in his book, Naruto would stay away from fictional characters.

**"Kind of like our author."** The Nine Tails sighed. **"He gets so sad when a person dies on a show..."**

'Huh?' Naruto frowned in confusion, looking lost.

**"For the watch my ass." **The Nine tails grumbled under his breath, starting to get off track again. **"I'll shove my foot up their-"**

'Fox, what the heck are you even _talking _about?' Naruto cut him off.

**"Hm?" **The Nine tails stopped brooding and returned to the conversation with his host. His tails swished behind him, before laying back down. **"Never mind that, what about sports? American Football or Rugby sound right up your alley. So does MMA for that matter."**

'Can't really say that sports sound that cool, I could run circles around them and probably run them all over at the same time. As for MMA, let's be real. I'd kick all their asses at once.' Naruto smirked, starting to enjoy this makeshift game they were playing.

**"Fair point," **The Nine tails admitted. "**how about reading?"**

'Ew,' Naruto scrunched up his nose. 'No.'

The Nine Tails was not giving up, he hadn't had a pleasant conversation in a while anyway.

**"Fine, uh... what about peeping?" **The fox suggested.

To say the blond boy was caught off guard by that kind of answer would be an understatement. "Did a demonic fox want me to take up the habit of perving on women?" Naruto asked out loud, not even caring if he was heard. He pulled out a Kunai and dropped it, watching it land on the ground. "Gravity's fine..."

**"Fine, I get the point... but seriously, if you do, look at someone other than that pink haired banshee."** The Nine Tails almost sounded pleading.** "I've seen enough mental images you came up with of that girl to last a lifetime."**

'I wasn't that bad.' Naruto defended himself with his hands raised up.

**"Yes you were."** The Nine Tails said accusingly. **"It was hell of your own design, forcing me to see every detail... you're a pervert!"**

'I am not a pervert, you stupid furball!' Naruto shouted back.

**"Lies!" **The Bijuu bellowed. **"You were kicked out of the community pool for grabbing the life guard's-"**

'I was eleven and Kiba dared me too!' Naruto defended himself. "Besides, that only happened once!"

**"What about that time you were ten and you looked in the window of the Hyūga estate and watched that girl from your class shower?"**

'I never did that, you're just spouting bull!' Naruto looked offended. 'I'd remember doing something like that!'

**"...Okay, maybe that was a lie." **The Kyuubi admitted. **"But this isn't. Remember that prank you pulled on the girls in the academy last year? You stole every one of their bras and to this day none of them have been found."**

'That.. that didn't happen either!' Naruto defended again, a little red in the face.

**"Yes it did." **The Nine tails deadpanned. **"Then there was that time when-"**

Shut up!' Naruto pointed a mental finger at the bijuu. 'Stop it right now!'

**"No, I don't think I will."** the fox stated. **"You perved on all of your classmates, at least once! I am a grown-ass fox watching you stare at some child's rear! It's horrible!"**

'I hate you with a passion.' Naruto deadpanned. The thing was trapped in a cell and still won every damn argument they had, it wasn't fair! He should win every now and then!

**"Speaking of passions, maybe you could pick up movies instead of TV shows?" **The Nine tails transitioned the conversation smoothly.

'No.' Naruto deadpanned.

**"Come on kit, don't be like that!" **The Kyuubi whined.

'No.' Naruto denied vehemently. After the mocking words the Nine Tails just uttered?

Silence reigned between them for a few seconds, and Naruto thought the fox had given up.

**"I got it," **The Nine tails suddenly got another idea. **"Music."**

'Huh?' Naruto sounded confused. He hadn't thought about that.

**"You always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, I remember when you were younger and you debated being a rock star or becoming Hokage****."** The Kyuubi sounded pleased with this breakthrough.** "All you need to do is buy a guitar and you can just practice by playing some of the songs you know."**

'...That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea.' Naruto admitted. 'Only problem is that stores jack up my prices, remember? If I want a decent guitar, I'd have to pay a fortune and a half to get it.'

**"Don't worry about that,"** The Nine Tails told him. There was no way he was going to let someone stop him from getting Naruto a hobby that he approved of.** "I have a plan to get around that and let you get something better than ****_decent._****"**

Before this conversation could continue, Naruto saw a white flash emitting from the original town, and saw that in seconds almost half of it was obliterated.

**"We'll talk about your hobbies later, that killing intent I sensed earlier is back in that town." **The Nine tails said urgently. **"You need to-!**

'Go investigate, on it!" Naruto said out loud, interrupting the fox.

**"I was going to say get out of dodge, whatever did that would pick you apart." **The Nine tails snapped.

'Not happening.' Naruto stood up quickly, and a moment later he was sprinting back towards the town in the dead of night.

* * *

"I hope that sensei of yours knows what he's doing, Ms. Haruno." Hisayo was keeping Sakura company while the girl was guarding the village. "Splitting up might only make this beast more eager to attack one of you three."

Sakura's eye twitched in annoyance, but she kept a smile on her face. "Don't worry Hisayo, Sasuke was the rookie of the year and Naruto's no pushover. We can handle ourselves." Sakura smiled. Inwardly, she was annoyed by the older woman's constantly questioning of sending them instead of adults, it was growing tiresome.

"Doesn't Konoha always team the rookie and kunoichi of the year with the dead last of the year?" Hisayo asked.

Sakura glanced over at her, keeping the smile on her face though wanting to frown. "Yes, Konoha as well as the other shinobi villages do teams in a way to balance each other out so that one team is not naturally better than another."

"But as individuals, wouldn't Naruto be the weakest?" Hisayo pressed. "You said Sasuke was the rookie of the year, and since your the only girl on the team that makes you the Kunoichi of the year.

"In the Academy, Naruto was the dead last of our generation, if that is what your asking." Sakura was trying to stay polite, but this old woman was making it really difficult.

"Then why is Naruto not paired with one of you two? Is your sensei so cold he's leaving him out as bait?"

'Lady, if you knew anything about our team then you'd know I'd be the one Kaka-sensei would use as bait.' Sakura thought dryly. 'And he's not that cold, he might be a lazy pervert but he's not a jerk.'

Out loud, she remained polite. "If anything, Naruto's probably the strongest of us three." Sakura replied. "When we first started, yeah, he was probably the worst shinobi in the ranks. But during our first mission outside of Konoha, when everyone was either unable to fight or... unwilling, Naruto stood in front of us and fought an entire band of mercenaries on his own."

"My word." Hisayo looked taken aback. "How did he survive?"

Sakura grew a little sad. "For two months, we thought he didn't. While he did fight his hardest, he was just outnumbered. One of the men managed cut him across the face, knocking him unconscious."

"Is that where he received that scar?" The old woman asked.

Sakura nodded, recounting the story. "Yeah... and after he got it, everything only got worse."

flashback

_Naruto's face was a bloody mess, along with the rest of his body. His orange and blue jumpsuit was shredded, red stains all over the slash marks and stained red everywhere else._

_"Step aside, or the brat dies." the man said, snickering as Kakashi was left with a horrible ultimatum. He decided to forgo the slaughter all the shinobi route with all of the ones still alive beginning to regain their bearings._

_Sasuke was still on the ground trying to stand up, glaring at the man as if trying to incinerate him with his eyes. He hated feeling weak and useless, and that was what the last Uchiha was feeling at this time._

_Kakashi was finally on his feet and standing steady. He could've killed them all on his own if he didn't have to worry about the town behind him, but with Naruto being held hostage, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He stilled for a moment, before his head fell in shame._

_Kakashi began to turn to the side to let them pass, when it happened in a blink of an eye._

_Naruto's eyes snapped open, still a terrible blood-red. He looked at the knife at his neck and snarled, moving so fast the man behind him couldn't react. He sank his teeth into the man's hand, ripping off his thumb and making him drop his knife as well as Naruto._

_Said boy's feet barely had time to touch the ground before Naruto lunge at the man, impaling his claws through his chest and tackling him._

_However, instead of hitting the hard cement, they were met with something far worse._

_Nothing._

flashback end

Sakura cleared her throat, trying to find her voice again. "then, Naruto managed to tackle him off the bridge, and fell down into the river. By the time the rest of the mercenaries were killed, he was gone. Washed away by the river."

It was her greatest shame, standing by uselessly while Naruto fought against them all. Because of her lack of action, Naruto paid the price with a permanent scar on his face and was thought to be dead for two entire months.

And when they got back, everyone changed around her. None of them ever said they blamed her, but the way Kiba grew so bitter or Hinata grew so cold made her feel like it was her fault regardless.

'If I was just a little stronger, maybe everything would be different.' Sakura thought bitterly. 'I've always thought that I could get by just by being smarter than everyone else, and I never bothered to grow stronger physically. I'm the weak link of our team... I've been the weakest from the start.'

"But he's here now, so he must've came back." Hisayo stated, continuing the conversation

Sakura left her thoughts to answer the old woman. "Yeah, he actually came back about a week ago. This is our first mission since he's come back, it's basically a field test to see if we still mesh together."

"They just threw the three of you out here as soon as he got back?" Hisayo frowned.

Sakura winced. "Not exactly."

Flashback

_Naruto noticed Sakura had vanished, which confused him greatly. Did she run away in the middle of a fight?_

_"Don't worry," Sasuke mumbled, seeing where Naruto's eyes went. "Sakura is a medic, she's not allowed to fight unless the two of us are beaten."_

_Naruto frowned, and muttered "So basically, she's useless."_

_Sasuke was taken aback, not expecting that kind of negative reaction. Honestly, didn't Naruto have a crush on her or something? What happened to that? "She's not useless. Medics can't let themselves get hurt Dobe." He tried to explain. "They can't heal you if they're healing themselves."_

_Naruto tightened his fists as he continued to stare at Kakashi, who had climbed out of the hole in the ground. "Like I said." He said, his voice getting a little louder. "Useless."_

_Sasuke frowned at this, asking in a tone much louder than it should have been. "What the hell is your deal with Sakura being a medic?"_

_'Oh here we go.' Kakashi thought, not surprised. Of course there was going to be something still in the way of them working as a team, life would be too easy if there wasn't._

_"My Problem?" Naruto glanced at him, his eyes hard. His tone was as icy as his stare, his gaze flickering between Kakashi and Sasuke. "My problem is that I don't want to be on a team like the one that was on the bridge that day. A team where the moment Kakashi goes down, we are screwed right in the down under. You and Kakashi were down, that is true. But she wasn't."_

_Sasuke's glare grew colder as he spoke. "She was guarding Tazuna. Like Kakashi told her to."_

_From her hiding place, Sakura frowned. Her confidence took another hit, Naruto hitting major points about what happened, at least in her mind. Still, was Naruto actually this upset with her? Did he really blame her for what happened on the bridge?_

_Kakashi sighed dejectedly and relaxed in his stance, watching the verbal match between teammates with a frown under his mask. Why didn't he see this coming?_

_"She wasn't guarding anyone Teme, she was holding you." Naruto corrected, his gaze completely leaving Kakashi and meeting the sharingan eyes of Sasuke. "Like always."_

_And now hurt turned to rage, as Sakura felt the urge to punch Naruto in the face. Of all the times for this conversation, he chose now? 'Damn it Naruto!'_

_"Is that what this is about?" Sasuke snarled, getting in Naruto's face. "You're going to fight me about this now of all times? Are you serious?"_

_"Yes I'm serious!" Naruto shouted back, moments away from hitting the last Uchiha as his eyes flickering from blue to red. "I almost died because none of my team was able to back me up! I got my face mutilated because she FELT THE NEED TO GROPE YOUR ASS WHILE I FOUGHT GOD DAMN ARMY! WHERE THE HELL WERE ANY OF YOU?"_

Flashback end

Before Hisayo could ask Sakura to explain what she meant, an explosion went off a mile or so down the road, back the way Team Seven came.

"What in the world was that?" Hisayo looked over in the direction of the old village in shock. "Did your sensei find the monster?"

'Chakura no basho Jutsu!' Sakura didn't say it out loud, using her chakra location jutsu to try and determine what was going on.

While she found that Kakashi was fighting someone, she could tell Naruto was going over to go help out and should arrive there in five minutes at the pace he was going.

However, the worrying thing to her was that she sensed another signature approaching Sasuke, feeling similar to the unknown signature fighting Kakashi. From what she could tell, it was really close to Sasuke and the Uchiha had no idea about it.

'I think Naruto and Kakashi-sensei can hold their own, but if this other signature is as strong, then Sasuke might be in trouble.' Sakura looked behind her. 'They should be able to win... I hope.'

She looked over at Hisayo. "Kakashi-sensei must've found whoever has been terrorizing your home, Naruto is the closest to him and should be there in five minutes."

"You sound like your not going over there." Hisayo pointed out.

Sakura turned to look back in the direction she came in, where the explosion was. "That's because I'm not. There's another person swinging around from the other side, where Sasuke-kun is. With Naruto helping Kaka-sensei, I should go over to help Sasuke to help keep everything even."

"There's more than one monster?" Hisayo looked horrified.

Sakura shook her head. "No, these signatures are human. Sorry, but I got to go."

* * *

Sasuke was watching over the landscape, standing with his arms crossed and his eyes glowing softly. While most teenagers grew tired and sleepy when the sun fell, Sasuke was never able to get proper rest since the Uchiha Massacre.

It constantly haunted him, still giving him an occasional nightmare years later.

Currently, he was aware of a presence closing in on him, but he wanted to maintain an element of surprise when they attack and he was ready for them.

Sasuke heard a twig snap on his left, and a smirk slowly formed on his face. "You took your sweet time approaching me." He called out in the darkness, his eyes slowly going over to his left.

He saw a burly man, one that looked more like he belonged in a Forge instead of a battle field. He was bald, with a fiery red beard falling down to his chest. The man towered over Sasuke like a giant, easily almost two feet taller than the Uchiha, and had meaty hands with thick fingers.

The man wore a sleeveless white shirt stained with grime, with brown leather pants and scuffed black boots, furthering Sasuke's impression of a civilian worker instead of a fighter. Strapped to his back was a machete, long and sharp.

The hooded man stopped, and seemed to look right at him. "I was making sure they weren't just sending me a sacrificial lamb." He retorted gruffly. "You wouldn't be the first kid I've killed."

The Uchiha heir tensed up at that, prepared to fight. "Sacrificial lamb? As if someone like you could beat a Uchiha."

Sasuke's sharingan alerted him to danger before he could actually see it, and he instinctively leaned his head to the right. A shuriken flew past his head, cutting a single lock of his hair before imbedding itself into a tree behind Sasuke.

Drawing a kunai into his left had, Sasuke braced himself as the larger man charged at him.

'He's faster than he looks.' The Uchiha heir thought, seeing the man swing his sword for his throat and ducking under the attack.

Hearing the sword whistle through the air above him, Sasuke almost gave a smile. 'Too easy.' He thought, before he lunged forward tried to stab his opponent in the gut with his kunai.

However, the brutish man seemed to see this coming.

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock when he saw the brute move fluidly, twisting out of the way and grabbing his extended arm. He felt himself getting yanked off of his feet and pulled into the air, then flying a dozen or so feet and crashing into the ground.

He continued to travel further, skidding in the dirt on his back. When he began to slow down, Sasuke flipped up onto his feet and dragged his kunai across the ground to stop his momentum.

The Uchiha lifted his head and looked at his opponent, caught well off guard by the recent turn of events. 'Guess he's about as strong as he looks too...'

"Time to die, pretty boy!" The man yelled, charging at him again.

'Does this guy even have a jutsu to use?' Sasuke thought dryly, again dodging a slash of the man's machete. Outwardly, he snorted mockingly before shooting his retort. "Tch, call me when someone who can kill me shows up then."

The brute took a wild swing with his machete, followed by another. Sasuke was forced to back up to avoid the attacks, though he was left with an opportunity to attack after both of them.

'I really don't want to get thrown like that again, I'll wait for the right moment to strike.' He thought, backing up another step from the third attack.

Fortunately he didn't wait much longer, the fourth swing the brute took was the last one he got off. He again swung his machete for Sasuke's head, like he was trying to cleave the boy's head off.

Sasuke however, saw the man stumble, and decided now was the time to strike.

Before his opponent could react, Sasuke sent a quick jab with his free hand into the brute's face, digging his thumb into the man's eye.

Sasuke smirked, seeing his opponent bring his hand up to his eye. The Uchiha stepped into his kick and sent a roundhouse into the brute's face, making him reel back.

The brute growled in annoyance as he let his hand drop, showing his eye was red. He made a few hand seals, and let out a cry. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Sasuke was half expecting an army clones to appear, mostly because that was normally what Naruto would do with his shadow clones. However, only a single clone popped to life next to the brute, standing side by side with the original man. "You cheap little bastard... you're dead!"

"Tch." Sasuke scoffed, weaving through hand signs. "You got to do better than that to beat a Uchiha, Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga no Jutsu!"

A wolf of lightning came to life in front of him, sprinting towards and obliterating the clone before the real one could react.

"You can't beat an elite." The Uchiha told him, making him charge forward blindly once again.

Sasuke had an arrogant smirk on his face while going through another series of seals for an attack, letting his opponent charge closer and closer before letting it off. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Searing heat soared at the defenseless man at neigh point blank range, not even five feet between them both. 'There's no way he can avoid this... okay, that works.'

The brute didn't slow down his sprint, instead using the momentum to help him leap over the high blast like it was a hurdle, reaching an astounding height on his jump. He raised his machete over his head, placing both hands on the handle.

"Die!" The brute roared, letting gravity take him back down to earth.

The Uchiha didn't verbally respond, he just backed up a few steps to be out of his opponent's range of attack.

The man smashed into the ground half a dozen feet away from Sasuke, his sword imbedded in the dirt.

Sasuke saw this and immediately tried to take the advantage. He rushed forward, planting his foot into the brute's chest with a loud thud.

Smirking, the Uchiha didn't realize that the kick didn't phase his opponent until it was too late. 'Oh crap.' Sasuke's eyes widened briefly when he saw the brute's massive hand snatch his leg by the ankle.

"Got you now, pretty boy." The man hefted his machete and yanked Sasuke closer to himself. At the same time, the man was also swinging his machete towards Sasuke, about to cut him in two.

Sasuke reacted quicker than most people would've, twisting his body and letting his free hand drag his fingers against the dirt. His kunai raked against the brute's hand, loosening his grip, while at the same time, the Uchiha planted his foot again into the brute's chest.

The cut on his hand had more of an effect, but regardless the man's arm dipped and his machete missed Sasuke's person. Trying to string together a series of attacks, Sasuke then tried to stab the brute through the wrist.

Unfortunately, before he could even hoist his kunai up, the brutish man tightened his grip on Sasuke's ankle again and whipped him down onto the ground.

Sasuke landed on his head, his kunai skirting just out of arm's reach. The man stomped down on the genin's chest, cracking the boy's ribs.

"Let's try this again, you little bastard." The man sneered, keeping his foot firmly on Sasuke's chest and preventing him from moving. He inadvertently pinned one of Sasuke's arms to his chest, leaving the other one outstretched. "now you die!"

The Uchiha heir watched the machete descending on his throat, his eyes widening. 'I will not die yet! I am an Avenger!' Sasuke went through seals with his free hand, never having done them with one hand.

He had no idea whether the attack would be normal strength or if it would be weakened, but if it saved his life he wouldn't care.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Sasuke spat forward, not able to bring his hand to his mouth. The result was basically just a flare popping in the brute's face, momentarily blinding him and making his swing miss Sasuke's head.

"Gah!" The brute took his weight off of the foot atop Sasuke's chest, bringing his hand up to his eyes again. He backed up off of Sasuke, which let the Uchiha heir get back to his feet.

Sasuke panted slightly, ducking under a wild punch.

The brute threw another punch but the Uchiha telegraphed this one too. He leaned his head out of the way and grabbing the man's extended arm.

While he held onto the man's gigantic fist, Sasuke left his feet and brought his knee under the man's forearm. Under the sudden addition of Sasuke's weight to his arm, the brute's arm dipped slightly and let the Uchiha plant his other foot into his gut.

The man hunched over, letting Sasuke's back touch the ground. Keeping one foot on his stomach and a good hold on the man's arm, Sasuke rolled backwards to throw his opponent face first into the dirt.

The Uchiha flipped back up to his feet, leaving his back turned to his opponent. He turned his head so he could see the man spitting out grass and getting back to his feet.

"Had enough?" Sasuke asked, an arrogant smile playing his face.

The man's lips curled into a snarl, and he pointed his machete at Sasuke. "I'll kill you, blasted Uchiha!"

"Tch, at least you knew enough to remember the name of the one who kills you." Sasuke scoffed. "I have the luxury of not knowing who could be such a waste of space like yourself."

"You're an arrogant one, aren't you?" The brute pointed his thumb up at his face. "I am Uzumaki Meisu, and I'll be the last person you see before I gouge out your eyes, pretty boy!"

The last Uchiha felt his eyes widen briefly, before he played it off. 'I thought Dobe was the only Uzumaki left.'

Outwardly though, he said something a little different. "Just because I didn't know it didn't mean I cared enough to hear it."

The brute, Meisu, let out a battle cry and charged yet again, his machete ready to cleave the Uchiha right in half.

The Uchiha gave a bored sigh. 'This is getting repetitive, doesn't he have any understanding of tactics?' He stood still, letting Meisu get closer and closer, before he just stepped to his left when the brute could really slow down or change direction.

When the brute reached Sasuke, everything was already in motion. Sasuke stepped back towards Meisu and lifted his foot up, aiming a kick right under the side of his jaw.

"Amai Agoongaku!"

The Uchiha's kick connected, making Meisu's head snap in the other direction and thanks to the momentum the larger man got from his sprint, fly several feet away from Sasuke.

While Meisu was laying on the ground, Sasuke just stayed where he was with his foot still extended out in front of him. 'This isn't over yet...'

As if summoned by Sasuke's thought, Meisu lifted his head off the ground and rubbed his chin. "Lucky shot, brat."

He slowly got back up to his feet, turning to face the smaller shinobi of the Leaf once again. "It'll be the last one you get."

Sasuke snorted and gave him a dry stare, as if daring him to try to stop him. Slowly, the Uchiha raised his arm to point at Meisu, and made the 'come here' gesture.

Of course, like the last several attempts, Meisu charged forward with his machete ready.

The proud Uchiha snorted. "At least change up your strategy." He grumbled, again letting Meisu run right past him by stepping to his left. This time though, instead of nearly breaking the man's jaw, Sasuke had an idea more like the idea he had before.

While Meisu's sword arm was still extended, Sasuke reached out and grabbed it, letting the brute drag him off his feet.

The Uzumaki's arm dipped slightly, but he didn't slow down. He was able to carry the Uchiha easily as he ran, and was intending on using his sprint to give him more momentum to chuck Sasuke a good distance away.

Out of the corner of his eye though, Meisu caught the glint of metal before he remembered Sasuke was holding a kunai in his other hand. Almost as if reality was in slow motion, the brute turned to look at Sasuke plunge the blade was plunged into his wrist.

"Gah!" Meisu howled in pain, his machete leaving his hand as he tried to slow himself down.

Sasuke wasn't done yet, he ripped the kunai out of Meisu's wrist and stabbed it down again, this time imbedding it into Kenji's upper arm, right under the shoulder.

The Uchiha let himself drop off of his opponent's arm, his kunai still jammed bone deep a little below the brute's shoulder. He rolled on the ground from the momentum, before ending up in an unplanned crouch.

'If anyone ever asks about this fight, I'm going to say I planned to do that.' Sasuke thought, standing up and crossing his arms. He could feel blood on his face, but it wasn't his.

Meisu stayed silent while his arm hung limply, blood flowing down his arm and dripping off his twitching fingers. A seal on the Uzumaki's hand appeared when blood started to flow, and Sasuke didn't feel the ever so slight pulse of chakra to sensitive even for a sharingan to detect.

Sasuke stood up, smirking for a moment, before searing pain seemed to hit his face from no where. He immediately brought his hand up to rub his face, finding the searing heat left his face and went onto his hand.

The Uchiha shook his hand off, and found that the blood that was on his face had somehow left faint burn marks. He didn't bother to check, but he was certain there were more burns on his face.

'What the... acidic blood?' Sasuke had never heard of a kekkei genkai like that, and was fairly certain that one like that did not exist.

He got his proof not even a minute later, when Meisu grabbed the handle of the kunai Sasuke jammed into his arm.

Without even wincing, the Uzumaki pulled the knife down to carve further down his arm. A horribly large gash formed from his shoulder to his elbow, blood flowing like a river out of the wound.

"Are you insane?" Sasuke's voice cracked while he spoke, but he paid no mind to it. His face twisted in horror, appalled by what he just saw.

The brute's response was sneer at the Uchiha and jam his fingers into the open wound, digging in as if he was looking for something inside.

'That answers that question quite well.' Sasuke thought, both disgusted and sickly curious how Kenji was able to do that without flinching. The pain tolerance alone he had to have was inhuman.

Meisu's neck started to twist unnaturally, spinning the brute's head around three hundred and sixty degrees to snarl at him.

Sasuke blinked, not at all understanding what was going on."What the fu-"

Sasuke was interrupted by Meisu letting out a feral roar and ripping his fingers from the gash, blood coating his fingers. Making a claw with his hand, he swiped through the air at the Uchiha and arcs of red light flying for Sasuke.

On instinct, the Uchiha ducked under the weird lights, feeling their searing heat pass overhead. He rolled forward to stay low in case Meisu attacked again, and for a brief moment he saw the sky.

It wasn't the blue-black blend that it was supposed to be at this time of night, but instead was an odd dark green color instead. Adding into this were the clouds, which instead of matching the sky's color were a dark abyss of black.

And then there was the moon, which was the thing that caught Sasuke's attention the most. He had always been fascinated by it, and was shocked when he saw it was not the normal silver color that Sasuke knew, but it was a murky brown color like water from a swamp.

The Uchiha got back up to his feet still a few feet away from Meisu. While the blood thirsty behemoth charged at him, Sasuke instead took a second to take in his surroundings.

He saw the trees, and how they had turned purple like out of a scary children's cartoon. The ground beneath him was a fluffy white, and Sasuke felt his feet beginning to sink down into it.

'This is a genjutsu.' Sasuke thought in alarm, instantly bringing his hands together despite the fight that he though the was in. 'Kai!' he mentally dispelled the illusion.

Sasuke's blinked his eyes open, finding that he was laying on the ground on his back.

He also found out that Meisu was about to stomp down onto his throat, which would probably sever his head.

'He must be after my sharingan, otherwise he would've targeted my skull instead of my neck.' Sasuke thought, rolling onto his side to let Meisu's foot land on the ground.

Using the momentary opening he had, Sasuke shifted his weight onto his right hand on the ground and pushed off, propelling him at the brute and making both of his feet crash into the man's chin.

Meisu stumbled backwards, while Sasuke glared over at him. "Trying to use a genjutsu to fool my eyes is pretty stupid, you must not know much about my clan."

"I know that most of them were killed by your brother!" Meisu snapped back, yanking out Sasuke's kunai and tossing it away.

As a result, Sasuke went through seals and brought his hands to his mouth. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu."

The attack caught Meisu off guard, he had been trying to back up to his machete when several fireballs were spat at him, each one blasting him in the chest one after another in a barrage.

Meisu stood like a statue for a moment while smoke rolled off of him, before he slumped down to his knees, his shirt peppered with burn holes.

"I don't know where you're from or why you're here, but I do know that fighting me was the last mistake you'll ever get to make." Sasuke snarked darkly, a little anger still in him over the comment on Itachi.

Meisu looked up before glancing behind him, seeing his machete was still out of reach and Sasuke could easily attack him again before he got it. He slowly got back up to his feet, staring at Sasuke while trying to figure out a strategy.

Towards the end of Meisu's stare, Sasuke caught the brute's eyes glance over his shoulder. An unsettling smile formed on the brute's face before he charged at the unmoving Uchiha.

Sasuke scoffed to himself, the man couldn't even lift his right arm, the heck was this going to accomplish aside from letting Sasuke hit him again?

They weren't all that far apart now, but before Kenji reached Sasuke, he did something the prideful Uchiha did not expect.

Instead of trying to attack him, the brute jumped over Sasuke completely.

"Hey!" Sasuke whirled around, expecting a punch or a kick from the brute while his back was turned.

Instead, the Uchiha found out that he wasn't even the target of Meisu's attack.

"You need stealth lessons, girl." Kenji grinned, holding a pink haired girl up in the air by the throat. He lifted her upwards, holding her high above his head. "Red isn't exactly an easy color to hide, even at this time of night."

"Sakura!" Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm.

Sakura was caught off her guard, mostly because she had not arrived more than five seconds ago. She was trying to get behind Meisu to sucker punch him, but he must've seen her when she was running towards them unaware of what was happening.

The moment Sasuke realized what was going on, his entire demeanor changed. "Let. Her. Go!" Sasuke hissed out sharply, his fists shaking in uncontrollable anger.

Meisu ignored him for a moment, forcibly turning Sakura to show him her back. "I don't recognize the family crest on the back of her shirt, she must be from a civilian family. No fancy kekkei genkai or anything like that, but maybe my master will be intrigued by your pretty hair... Hm..."

'Let me go!' Sakura thought a little desperately, starting to run out of air. She squirmed a little in his grip before she bit down hard on the man's hand, her teeth crunching the bones and cutting deeply.

"Ow!" Meisu hissed out in pain, dropping the kunoichi to the ground. "You little whore!"

Sakura landed on her back, surprised that blunt tactic actually worked but going with the flow. She spat on the ground to get the nasty taste out of her mouth and hastily got to her feet.

"Take this," Sakura held her leg back like she was about to kick a soccer ball. "Shannaro!" Sakura kicked the behemoth as hard as she possibly could between his legs, hunching him over in agony.

With the brute hunched over to clutch his manhood, Sakura cocked back her fist and sent it as hard as she could into his face, knocking him away from her and right back towards the waiting Uchiha.

Sasuke had stalked behind Meisu while all this was happening, going through seals silently while waiting for his chance to pounce on his opponent. The sound of chirping birds resounded through the air from his hand, and Sasuke attacked.

"Chidori!" He cried, aiming for Meisu's chest.

Meisu saw his life flash before his eyes, before the lightning covered fist tore straight through his chest cavity. He was numb via the electricity now coursing through his body, but Sasuke's hand still tore out the back of his chest as if he was made of paper.

Blood had splattered on Sasuke's face again, but this time no burning sensation came over him. He clenched his eyes tightly as he slid his hand out of the brute's chest, feeling blood coating his hand.

The Uzumaki coughed up more blood, his eyes losing focus. He fell down onto one knee, before he fell down to the ground on his side.

Sasuke opened his eyes, taking shallow breaths. He didn't dare look over at Sakura, not sure what to say to the girl.

"You think... you've won..." Sasuke heard Meisu speaking softly, barely even audible. The Uchiha's gaze snapped down to the dying man, a blank look on his face. "I'm... only one of... many... I will be... avenged."

The Uchiha was half tempted to make another Chidori and put the man out of his misery, but decided that it wasn't worth it. He'd be dead in a minute anyway.

Meisu's arms were twitching and moving around, as if he was tapping on the ground looking for something. "Where's... my machete? ...My... beautiful... machete..."

Blood spurted out of the behemoth's mouth and cut off whatever he was going to say, so Sasuke could only raise his eyebrows rose in confusion.

Did he want to die with it in his hands?

While Meisu might have been an enemy, Sasuke recognized that he already won. He didn't want to spit on a dying man's wishes, unless they were Itachi.

The Uchiha looked around for a minute, finding the brute's sword and picking it up. For the first time, Sasuke took a moment to inspect it, and found something really odd.

The blade wasn't a metallic gray, but an odd teal...

* * *

Kakashi was currently keeping his distance from Ryu, trying to come up with a new tactic to fight the Uzumaki across from him. 'I can't win this up close, and we might be even in ninjutsu if you take into account the variety of attacks I can use, but he's got more chakra than Naruto even with the Kyuubi's influence.'

"I thought you were going to prove I am not unbeatable?" Ryu called out, not impressed. "You can't do so unless you attack."

Kakashi ignored the Uzumaki clan head, his sharingan trying to find something he could use for his advantage but failing. 'My one shot would've been genjutsu if I had one that I thought would work, but with control like his he'd see through most illusions with ease.'

Ryu shook his head, an incredulous look starting to fall on his face. "I didn't take you for a liar, Hatake." He shot at the Copy Ninja. "But if you won't attack me, I'll just have to attack you."

The Uzumaki raised his free hand and made a single seal, using a sort of go-to for this fight.

"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu."

Kakashi dodged the attack, seeing Ryu charging. He dodged the Uzumaki's sword slash by ducking beneath it, putting his hand on the ground to help steady himself to lift his leg higher than his head and try to kick the Uzumaki.

Ryu aloofly blocked the kick with his arm, his sword's point away from Kakashi. "Pathetic, Hatake."

The Uzumaki shoved the Copy Ninja's leg back, which made the crouching the Copycat of the Leaf tumble onto his back.

Kakashi quickly regained his bearings. He lifted his head just in time to see Ryu swinging his sword for Kakashi's throat.

Reacting on instinct, Kakashi reached under Ryu's moving wrist and shoving it upward, in turn making Ryu's swing go up. At the same time, he was using his arm to push himself under the swing, again getting under his opponent.

Unlike last time though, before the Copycat could capitalize, Kakashi felt Ryu's foot smash into his chin in a punt.

Reeling from the kick, Kakashi rolled up backwards and up to his feet. Immediately, the Copy Ninja had to dodge a slash from Ryu's sword so that he wasn't cut in half. Ryu swung his sword again before Kakashi could try anything, making Kakashi go in the other direction and back up a step.

The Uzumaki continued this tactic, swinging a third time and then a forth time, before the true flurry of strikes began and he rattled off swings in the blink of an eye.

Kakashi didn't even bother to keep count, each swing coming right after another and forcing him to just keep moving. He repeated the same motion over and over, leaning to the left and then the right and back again to avoid Ryu's constant attacks.

'Damn it, It's endless! I don't even have time to come up with anything before he attacks me again!' Kakashi thought grimly, Ryu's sword narrowly missing Kakashi's chest.

Backing up yet again, the Copy Ninja found his back was now pressed against a wall and he didn't have much wiggle room. He had been pressed into a U shaped part of the house, walls on both sides of him and behind him.

"Die Hatake!" Ryu cackled with glee, seeing that he had Kakashi pinned to the wall. The Uzumaki's sword swung through the air, on a beeline for the Hero of the Sharingan.

Kakashi spent the rest of his space to lean out of the way of the attack, knowing a second was sure to follow. leaned out of the way of the attack, and rolled to Ryu's right, his back still against the wall.

The Copy Ninja then quickly pulled out a shuriken, throwing it at Ryu's face.

While Ryu did avoid the ninja star, he was forced to back up a step and give Kakashi more room to work with. He looked at Kakashi again and saw that the man had pulled out another kunai, was holding it in his fist and was trying to land a spinning back fist to impale Ryu.

Instead, Ryu ducked beneath the attack much like Kakashi had done twice earlier, and sent an open palm towards Kakashi's sternum.

His eyes widened in confusion when Kakashi's guard instantly dropped and he let Ryu smash him through the wall, before he heard a faint hissing noise.

Ryu looked down at Kakashi's empty hand, and the gears turned. He looked over his shoulder at the wall next to him and saw the kunai was imbedded into it, with a little present attached to the bottom.

'Explosive Tag.' The Uzumaki's eyes widened, and he braced himself as best he could for the explosion.

Only it never came.

Ryu looked back at the paper bomb and saw that it was nothing more than a slip of paper, nothing written on it. "A trick..."

He froze, hearing the sound of chirping birds. He looked over in Kakashi's direction, seeing the Copy Ninja standing amongst the rubble of the wall he was smashed through, lightning covering his fist.

"Not a trick, an illusion." Kakashi corrected, widening his stance to enhance his chakra further into a Raikiri. "Now's the part I send you straight to hell."

In the blink of an eye, the Copy Ninja lunged at Ryu with his arm extended, his fist colliding with the Uzumaki's chest and piercing through it.

For his credit, the Uzumaki clan head managed to contain to terror of death to himself, though the look of pain was a natural reaction he couldn't prevent. He looked down in shock at his wound, unable to breathe.

After another second, neither was Kakashi. A painful jolt shot through his arm coming from his lightning covered fist, electrifying the Copy Ninja and making him give an ungodly scream.

The Ryu in front of him seemed to melt right off his hand, turning into a puddle of water right at Kakashi's feet. His arm burned and smoking, Kakashi looked down in horror at the puddle of water.

"Did you really think it would be that easy, Hatake?"

Kakashi looked up, and saw that Ryu was standing on the roof of the building, his arms crossed while he looked down at the Copy Ninja.

"That... that was a clone?" Kakashi murmured, dumbstruck by this revelation. He knew that he hadn't landed a hit, but this fight was already insane enough for Kakashi. Finding out that the one giving him a run for his money was not even the real version.

Ryu smirked coyly. "But of course, I wanted to see if you were worth the time of actual combat before we began."

The Copy Ninja for the most part, understood that showing fear in combat was the fastest way possible to lose. It's why he constantly maintained a nonchalant attitude when in combat.

However, in the back of his mind, he remembered one crucial thing about solid elemental clones, like ones made of lightning or water. A solid clone was only one-tenth as strong as the original.

That meant that this Uzumaki Ryu was out of this world powerful. His chakra reserves were also ten times the size of the clones, and _it_ was able to used a S-ranked kenjutsu like it was nothing.

The Uzumaki above him unsheathed his katana, before he jumped down to the ground a dozen or so yards across from his opponent.

For the most part, Kakashi showed nothing but poise in the face of adversity. His gaze didn't waver and he stepped forward and away from the building he was pinned against earlier, closing the gap between them for better or worse.

"You're brave, Kakashi." Ryu stated. His sword started glowing, though it remained pointed towards the ground. "Much braver than I gave you credit for."

'His sword is as bright as when he absorbs chakra into it... oh no.' Kakashi's face dawned with realization. His eyes showed it, and the Uzumaki smiled sadistically.

"My greatest defense... is also my greatest offense." Ryu stated, still charging his sword. "While used defensively, the limitations are the amount of chakra _you_ channel into it. But when used offensively, it depends on how much chakra_ I_ put into it."

Kakashi could only watch Ryu lift his sword above his head, pointing it to the clouds. As if obeying his will, they gathered together and blackened the world even more, turning into storm clouds.

The earth started shaking, softly at first, before growing more violent. Lightning streaked in and out of the clouds, rain beginning to fall hard where they were.

Ryu gave a wicked smile, his eyes shining with madness. "Prepare to face divine judgment for your crimes, Hatake Kakashi of the Leaf! UZUMAKI KENJUTSU: HANPATSU!"

Lightning surged from the heavens and struck Ryu's sword, and Ryu launched his ultimate attack at near point blank range.

The ground in front of him shattered into a deep crater, a deep trail being dragged through the earth's crust as the pure white lite tore its way towards the Copy Ninja.

Kakashi's eyes widened, before they fell flat. The attack was far stronger than any barrier Kakashi could throw up in time before it collided with him. "Forgive me, Minato-sensei... Obito... father... I've failed you all." Kakashi closed his eyes in acceptance and waited for death to take him.

Kakashi faintly could hear the sounds of anguish screams, and gargled words over the roar of the blast, but a moment before he was turned to ash, he was blindsided by a gust of air that smashed him into the wall of a building out of the attacks path.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Everything was demolished, the blast tearing through miles of hillsides all the way to the horizon. Buidlings were gone, the ruins were gone, everything the light touched was incinerated.

'What... happened?' Kakashi groaned as he weakly lifted his head, looking around. Only seconds ago, he was accepting his fate to die in that blast, but someone saved him.

When he looked directly ahead, he saw none other than Naruto Uzumaki standing on the other side of the crater.

"...I guess the divines wish for you to live another day, Copy Ninja." Ryu looked over at Kakashi. "Though, that might be the thief's fault..."

Kakashi looked over at Naruto weakly, coughing weakly. "Naruto... you need to run-"

"Relax Hatake." Ryu smirked darkly at the incapacitated shinobi. "Though his death would be the most pleasant thing I would witness on this day, it's not my goal yet."

Naruto glared at the Uzumaki, his sharingan active. Their eyes met, sky meeting glacier and trying to intimidate each other. "I'm going to kick your ass, I hope you know that."

Ryu didn't verbally respond, and Naruto found himself _really _tired all of a sudden.

Seconds later, Naruto's sharingan flickered off and he was falling flat on his face, put into a deep sleep that even knocked out the Kyuubi.

Turning back to Kakashi, Ryu's arrogant smile said it all. _"I could have killed you right from the start."_

"Now, I have certain matters that I must attend too." The Uzumaki stated, stepping closer. "But know that I will be watching... _waiting_ for the thief to grow strong enough to rival the Hokages of old. And I want you to help make it happen, Hatake Kakashi. It will make it that much sweeter when I rip his beating heart out of his chest."

Then Kakashi passed out.

* * *

Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga no Jutsu- Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang. C-ranked. By manipulating lightning chakra into their hand, the user can make the lightning expand to create the form of a hound. The hound remains connected to the user's hand, allowing them to control it during its attack.

Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu- Water Release: Water bullet. C-ranked. A highly versatile technique which has many variations. After kneading chakra in their stomach, the user expels a large quantity of water in the form of a torrent towards their intended target.

Fūton: Daitoppa no Jutsu- Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. C-ranked. A technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, though it's power is determined by its user (IE, an average chunin uses it, it can destroy a part of a forest. A kage can use this to destroy an entire mountain.

Raiton: Denki no Haroo no Jutsu- Lightning Release: Electric Halo. B-ranked. A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into electricity, and the user slams their hands on the ground to form a barrier.

Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu- Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet. Chakra is kneaded in the user's body and shapes a large amount of water into a giant, powerful dragon, which hits the opponent with formidable might, dealing physical damage.

Rasengan-Rasengan. A-ranked. A technique developed by the fourth Hokage after studying the Tailed Beast Ball. Condense chakra is compressed tightly into a sphere in the user's hand, the Chakra traveling several directions at once, and can rupture organs, break bones, and in most cases, cause death.

Ookami Houkou- Wind Release: Wolf's roar. B-ranked. The user sucks in air before they shoot a highly compressed air ball from its mouth. The ball of air is shaped into that of a snarling wolf, a high pitched roar filling the air before contact with the target. Because of the large quantity of chakra kneaded into it, it explodes the moment it reaches its target, dealing an enormous amount of damage, as well as levelling anything in its path.

Uzumaki Kenjutsu: hanpatsu- Backlash. S-rank. A technique where the chakra is channeled through a bladed weapon, and swung through an attack. The sword absorbs the attack temporarily, and then flings it back at the opponent in combonation with the chakra nature(s) channeled through the blade.

Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu- A technique that produces a clone by projecting one's own chakra into mist. Because it uses water as a medium, it requires less chakra than the normal Shadow Clone Technique, while still being able to perform techniques. When the chakra projected by the user is severed, the mist begins dissipates, though the user is still able to continue to speak through it briefly.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu- Fire Release: Great Fireball. C-ranked. A popular move among the Uchiha clan, It is a technique where the user's chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth as a massive orb

Amai Agoongaku- Sweet Chin Music. B-ranked. A strong kick that is aimed straight for an opponent's chin, producing a loud smacking sound through the air on contact. This attack can decapitate enemies

Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu- Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu. C-rank. This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack.

Chidori- One Thousand Birds. A-rank. This technique channels a large amount of lightning chakra to the user's hand, such that it becomes visible. The high concentration of electricity produces a sound reminiscent of many birds chirping, hence the name. Once the technique is completed, the user charges forward and thrusts the Chidori into the target, producing heavy amounts of damage that is usually fatal. This technique is classified as an assassination technique because of the speed at which it is performed, despite the loud noise it produces.

Raikiri- Lightning Cutter. S-rank. An enhanced version of the Chidori, it is considerably more powerful. The Lightning Cutter requires better chakra control than the Chidori, which is exemplified in its appearance.

* * *

I'll try to keep this short, but I want to personally thank each and every one of you that followed, favored, and/or reviewed this story. We've reached a milestone that most stories on this site never reach, and the best is yet to come.


	10. announcement

While no, this isn't the update that some of you wanted, this is an announcement. Looking back on everything, not just on this story but on the stories that I deleted a year or so ago, it makes doing this seem repetitive.

And if you want to be technical, I've already done this twice to this story. However, I need to get this out, since I don't know if you'll ever read the next chapter.

I loved writing this story, but I can't keep it up anymore. Writing this story, I started because in all honesty I thought it be a decent hobby. And for a while, it was.

But somewhere, it just... lost it's charm. I continued writing the last couple chapters strictly for you all, but it wasn't enough. They never seem to come out right, and they aren't up to par with my expectations of myself.

On top of this... writing on this site has dwindled my life to the point of meaningless. If I died tomorrow, you all would miss me more than any of my friends and family would.

Don't get me wrong, I love my friends, but I just don't want to be writing a story based on something that isn't even mine for the rest of my life, I don't want it to define who I am. I've lost out on so many things because I chose to write over going after them, and I can't do it anymore.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that for a year, I've wasted your time, your energy, and I've made it seem like this story was going to be something. In truth, it might end here. I don't want to say it's abandoned, I really don't, but I can't keep doing this anymore.

So this is goodbye. Take care of yourselves, and live your life to the fullest.

I love you all.


End file.
